Country: Iran

Ethnic Group: Kurds

Date Finalized: 04/08/2021

Team: Alicia Hernandez (lead) and Vianney Mancilla

There is a significant amount of evidence for the displacement of the Kurds. We rated this data quality a 3 because there were many sources found with many details and specifics included.

The Kurds are a group located in the northwestern part of Iran near the Turkey border, comprising 10 percent of Iran’s population. The Kurds have struggled for independence from the Iran government ever since the Iran war in 1979, and they have experienced continual violence, with one Kurdish Member of Parliament alleging a campaign of repression and serial killings (Minority Rights,2017). The Kurds’ land has been confiscated and exploited for its resources which include dams, large-scale agricultural plantations, and petrochemical plants (Minority Rights Group, 2017). The Kurds have tried to escape these dangers, by moving to other countries, such as Iraq. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that approximately 23,000 Iranian Kurd refugees resided in just one Iraqi camp in 1995 (UN High Commissioner, 2004). There is substantial evidence Kurds in Iran have faced forced displacement as well as displacement to escape repression and persecution.

Sources

  1. Minority Rights Group. (2021) Kurds. Retrieved from https://minorityrights.org/minorities/kurds-4/ on April 6, 2021
  2. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (2004). Chronology for Kurds in Iran. Retrieved from https://www.refworld.org/docid/469f38a5c.html  on April 6, 2021
  3. The Kurdish Project. (2020)Iran (Rojhelat or Eastern Kurdistan). Retrieved from https://thekurdishproject.org/kurdistan-map/iranian-kurdistan/ on April 7,2021