The Foreign Relations Committee of the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK) said that they had received an official invitation to the Iran Freedom Congress (ifcongress.org) planned to be held in London on 28–29 March, but later their representatives were removed from the list of invitees. The statement added that the congressional process was not conducted in a transparent and democratic manner.
As the Iran Freedom Congress takes place in London with the aim of strengthening cooperation among opposition groups, the exclusion of Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK) has become a major point of controversy among political and civil activists.
This move, especially after critical statements from PJAK and the Iran Democratic Platform, has raised serious doubts about the congress’s commitment to its own stated principles, including transparency, equal participation, and pluralism.
In its statement PJAK said: “Although official invitations were sent to our party by the Congress Executive Committee, we learned that, in an irresponsible act that contradicted the principles of transparency, convergence, and democracy, the names of our party representatives were removed from the list of invitees. This action not only lacked political maturity, but was also clearly in conflict with the declared principles of the Congress.
Unfortunately, contrary to the title of this congress, the performance of its Coordination Council has been reminiscent of the arbitrary, domineering, and imposed approaches of institutions such as the Guardian Council. What happened was neither a sign of democracy and political-moral honesty, nor did it reflect equal and free participation; rather, it was a manifestation of discriminatory, selective, and exclusionary behavior and the product of a kind of hidden collusion behind the scenes.”
The statement added: “Based on the follow-up and information obtained, a voting session was held in a patronage and authoritarian manner in the Coordination Council, and as a result, PJAK’s right to participate in this congress has been revoked. At the same time, the people with whom we had a joint meeting are still in our opinion of good faith and have themselves admitted that “hidden hands” were at work in the process of eliminating PJAK.
But the fundamental question is: How is it possible that such hidden hands could interfere in the activities of a congress whose stated goal is to build trust and convergence, and that such exclusionary, opaque, and trust-destroying behaviors could be exhibited by its participants? Based on information we have received from internal sources of this council, it has been claimed that two other Kurdish parties present at the congress, namely the Democratic Party of Kurdistan of Iran and the Komala Party of Kurdistan of Iran, played a role in the process of eliminating PJAK . This claim, regardless of its truthfulness, is an issue that should be examined within the framework of relations between Kurdish parties and under the supervision of the Kurdish community; but in any case, it does not diminish the responsibility and consequences of the action taken to eliminate PJAK from the Iran Freedom Congress.”
PJAK continued: “Our question to the organizers and officials of the Congress is clear: Was this exclusionary and imposed approach the result of the influence, order, or pressure of a specific government or political movement? In this regard, we expect a transparent and responsible response.
You have spoken of convergence, responsibility, and pluralism in your propaganda; so what factor or factors—whether encouragement, threats, or short-term interests—have led you to deviate from these claims? While in your official texts you have spoken of confronting external interference and behind-the-scenes negotiations, evidence shows that the same opaque mechanisms and profit-seeking collusion that have distorted Iran’s political atmosphere for years have been reproduced in the first step of your congress.”
PJAK also asked “whether this action should be considered the beginning of a process of subsequent elimination. Iran’s historical experience has shown that initial soft eliminations have in some cases led to violent eliminations in later stages.” The statement added: “You have stated on your website that “this congress is not a place to elect or promote leaders and form coalitions, but rather to explore mediation mechanisms for participatory transitional governance.” However, what has happened in practice has been the formation of an unwritten coalition to prevent free and democratic participation, a process that has violated the principles of democracy, equality, and pluralism from the very beginning.
We say it clearly and openly: The exclusionary, arbitrary, and imposed behavior of the Congress Coordination Council lacks any acceptable justification and is significantly different from the title and claim of the Iran Freedom Congress.”
The statement ended by underlining that “in its first step, the Iran Freedom Congress, from our perspective, has acted outside the framework of convergence and contrary to democratic standards. Accepting this fact is the least that its participants can do on the path to reform .
We, the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan — PJAK, expect a transparent, explicit, and responsible response to the questions raised.”
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