MOSCOW STALINISTS AGAINST “RED KURDISTAN” – What has befallen to Red Kurdistan?

Omar Sindi, Washington – 3.12.2013 – : Red October 1917; “Officially known as the Great October of Socialist’s Revolution – Federative Soviet Republic”.

Utopian Socialism, guaranteeing the rights of national minorities are/is inseparable linked up with the principle of complete equality. As with all radical beliefs, there are plenty of theories, thought of analysis of why Soviet Union failed, is beyond the scope of this essay; but one can say, there are many evinced errors and misguided policies ventured by the top of Soviet leaders.

Anecdotally, that Lenin initiated order to set up the Red Kurdistan.

Officially, the Red Kurdistan was established on July 17, 1923 by the resolution of a special committee (Russian code named Kurdistan Uyezd). “Gussi Gajiyev was selected to be Chairman of the Autonomous Republic”. Red Kurdistan comprised of four running districts; Lachine, Kelbajar, Gubadly, Zangilan and a section of Jabrial. However, due raising objection of both Iranian Imperial Power under the reign of Reza Abbus Ali, who changed his title to “Reza Shah Pahlavi” and Turkey under the rule of Mustafa Kamal , who made a chauvinistic slogan “ Happy is he who calls himself a Turk”. At the instruction of Stalin; in 1929, Moscow advised the government in Baku that there is no more need for Kurdish autonomous region. “Stalin takes back Lenin’s gift to the Kurds-Red Kurdistan”. Soviet Communist authorities relocated forcefully the most to Kurds to Kazakhstan and “Kurds of Georgia also became victims of Stalin‘s expulsion in 1944”.

This is no defense of Communist system guidance or a vision, it is rather a claim from the top leadership and that they defend of defenseless people, which the Soviet Union leadership contradicted communist dogma. How the dogmatism of communist political system, Could continue to survive perpetually while the Soviet leaderships run the policy contrary to its belief, and foundation. At the behest of two notorious regimes Iran and Turkey, dismantling and removing recognizable autonomous Kurdish region at inside of its own border.

1945 Soviet Union pursues oil concession deal in Iran and press ahead encourages separatist movements, Kurds and the others as bargaining chips.

The Ba’athist regime in Iraq pursued one of the most chauvinistic policies against the minorities, destroyed over 4,000 Kurdish Villages, eliminated opposing of the political parties including the in Iraqi Communist party; Saddam Hussein went on official visit to Moscow; the Kremlin leaders gave this notorious man a warm welcome and they kissed him on the cheek.

However, After Stalin‘s death many Kurdish intellectuals tried to revise the issue of Red Kurdistan once again, but with no avail. In 1964, M.S. Babyef brought the issue of Red Kurdistan to the attention of then Soviet Union leader Nikita Khrushchev; it was indication that Khrushchev will review the issue of Red Kurdistan, with no tangible response.

Once more in late 1980’s and in early 1990’s; during “perestroika and glasnost” of Mikhail Gorbachev era, another group of Kurdish intellectuals formed an organization of “YEKBUN” in effort of the restoration of Red Kurdistan in the Caucasus region under the leadership of Mehmet Babayev, however Moscow agreed of reviewing the status of Red Kurdistan, it appeared at the same time another group of Kurdish academics, who opposed of YEKBUN which slowed down the process effort review. As Soviet Union dissolved in 90’s, another unforeseen sad event for the Kurds in this region from misfortunate to another misfortunate was still ahead for Red Kurdistan. The Karabakh war between Armenian forces and Azerbaijan forces and Red Kurdistan territory in between the conflict, as the fight raged on, the Armenian forces overwhelmed the Azerbaijani forces; the residents of this previous Kurdish autonomy were booted out from their homelands and dispersed mostly around various areas of Azerbaijan. The dilemma that the Armenian Authorities do not appear to have shown any proclivity to allow this displaced Kurdish population to return to their ancestral homeland, or any comprehensive plan of peaceful solution with the Kurdish Community in this region.

The occupying forces of Kurdish land must remember the Kurdish national anthem “Ey Raqib”.