Early years On 16 August 1945,
Qazi Muhammad founded the party under the name Kurdistan Democratic Party (PDK) in
Mahabad,
Iran. On 22 January 1946, the
Republic of Kurdistan would be declared, of which Muhammad formally became president. The republic lasted less than a year before the
USSR's occupation of Iran ended and the
Imperial Iranian Army under
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi conquered the short-lived Kurdish state on 15 December 1946. The party's first conference after the fall of the Republic of Kurdistan was held in 1955 and was a key step towards restoring its independence and popular support. The conference insisted on the independence of the party from other organizations, effectively ending relations with the Tudeh.
Jalil Gadani, a long-time party member recalls that, during the conference, the word "Iran" was added, leading to the party being renamed the PDKI. The PDKI continued its activities mainly in exile, hoping to achieve Kurdish national rights within a "
Democratic Federal
Republic of Iran." With that, the Iraqi government under
Saddam Hussein, hoped to instrumentalize the party against the Iranians. The PKDI hopes were to establish an autonomous Kurdish entity in Iran. However, the Iranian forces staged a series of debilitating attacks against the KDPI, leaving them a "marginal military factor during much of the Iran–Iraq War."
Mykonos restaurant assassinations Sadeq Sharafkandi's murder became an international incident between Germany and Iran. On 17 September 1992, PDKI leaders Sadeq Sharafkandi, Fettah Abduli, Humayûn Erdelan and their translator Nûri Dêkurdi were assassinated at the
Mykonos Greek restaurant in
Berlin,
Germany. In the Mykonos trial, the courts found
Kazem Darabi, an
Iranian national who worked as a grocer in Berlin, and
Lebanese Abbas Rhayel, guilty of murder and sentenced them to life in prison. Two other Lebanese, Youssef Amin and Mohamed Atris, were convicted of being accessories to murder. In its 10 April 1997 ruling, the court issued an international arrest warrant for Iranian intelligence minister
Hojjat al-Islam Ali Fallahian after declaring that the assassination had been ordered by him with knowledge of Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei and President
Ayatollah Rafsanjani.
1996 unilateral ceasefire In 1996, the PDKI had to declare a unilateral ceasefire, after being hard hit by relentless Iranian attacks.
Modern era In 1997, the party's call for abstaining the
presidential election remained largely ignored by Kurdish citizens in Iran and amid a high turnout in
Kurdistan Province, a large number voted for
Mohammad Khatami.
2006 party split From 1996-2004, Abdullah Hassanzadeh was the
secretary-general for the PDKI. In 2004
Mustafa Hijri took charge. During Hijri's time as the secretary-general several members all over the world and in
Iraqi Kurdistan expressed their dissatisfaction with his work. In the 13th congress in November 2006 party members told Hijri to back down from his position, but he rejected, which ultimately led to led to weeks of intra-party negotiations aimed at avoiding a split and reaching a compromise with him. Hijri rejected all offers and on 1 December 2006 the
Kurdistan Democratic Party (HDK) was founded after it split from the Hijri's PDKI.
PDKI TV Channel Shortly after the party split the PDKI was fast to establish their own TV Channel called
TISHK TV while HDK some months later established Kurd Channel. But during the reunification between the two sides in August 2022 the PDKI changed their TV Channel as a part of the reunification to
Kurd Channel.
2016 renewing of the armed struggle in 2014. In 2016, the organization announced it was reviving its armed struggle following the
death of Farinaz Khosravani and subsequent
Mahabad riots. The
Kurdistan Freedom Party and
Komala declared their support for the announcement - which led to the
Western Iran Clashes in 2016. In the same year an
Iranian agent planted a bomb near the party's headquarter, the
Democrat Castle, which led to the deaths of 6
HDK and KDPI members.
2018 missile attack on the party's headquarter On 8 September 2018 the
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force launched seven
Fateh-110 missiles at the party's headquarters, the Democrat Castle in
Koya,
Kurdistan Region,
Iraq while a HDK meeting was underway. The missiles got a direct hit on where the meeting was taking place at the Democrat Castle killing a total of 18 HDK and KDPI members. 50 HDK/KDPI members were injured, including HDK leaders Xalıd Ezizi and Mustafa Mewlûdi. And all the HDK members that were killed was, Mohammed Hassanpour, Nasrin Hedad, Rahman Piroti, Sohila Qaderi, Braim Zewei, Karim Mahdavi, Hasim Azizi, Osman Osmani, Kak Karsaz, Karim Rasoulzadeh, Peshawar Sayed Umaz, Jamal Akbari and Mansour Akbarpour.
2022 attack on Koya ,
Kurdistan Region,
Iraq, 2022. On the right side of the building, there is a mural of party founder and legendary leader
Qazi Muhammad. In 2022, the IRGC and the
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched
ballistic missiles and several
Shahed drones which attacked a school at Azadi Settlement in the
Kurdistan Region. The ballistic missiles nearly hit close to a school, which led to the killing of 17 teachers and parents, and 1 child. After the attacks on the school Iran attacked the headquarters of the
Komala Parties in Zrgwez,
Sulaymaniyah Governorate. Similar attacks continued the following days and casualties had increased to 18 deaths and 62 injuries, as of October 4, 2022. On November 14, Iranian airstrikes on Koya and the PDKI's party headquarters continued, killing at least two people and injuring 10 other KDPI members. As a result of the attacks 72 civilians and KDPI members were injured and 37 civilians and KDPI members were killed. Further
Iranian missile strikes on 21 November 2022 destroyed more houses in
Koy Sanjaq.
Reunification Both groups, the PDKI and HDK, reunited on August 21, 2022 and resumed their political and military activities under the name of the PDKI.
New leading team The party's leadership is the Executive Board. The board consists of 12 members and is being led by Mustafa Hijri.
2026 Kurdish–Iranian crisis The PDKI expressed support for the
nationwide protests that erupted in Iran in late 2025. The protests, which initially focused on economic grievances, later expanded to include broader opposition to the Islamic Republic’s leadership. The PDKI stated its solidarity with the protest movement and condemned the government’s response. According to statements published on the party’s official website, the PDKI also called for international protection for demonstrators, particularly in Iran’s Kurdish regions, citing reports of lethal force used by security forces. The PDKI participated in a joint meeting with other Iranian Kurdish political parties to discuss the ongoing protests and the broader political situation in Iran and the Kurdistan region. During the meeting, Kurdish opposition groups reiterated their support for the protest movement and emphasized the importance of political coordination and cooperation in response to the crisis. On January 11, PDKI representative Amir Babakhani called for the fall of Iran's regime in favor of a free and democratic country, and the party welcomed international condemnations of the crackdown on protests. On 22 February 2026, following the protests, the PDKI joined other Iranian Kurdish parties in creating the
Coalition of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan. On 3 March 2026,
United States President
Donald Trump spoke to KDPI Secretary-General
Mustafa Hijri, in an attempt to instigate a U.S.– and
Peshmerga–backed ground offensive in western Iran by Iranian Kurdish opposition forces amid the
2026 Iran war. ==Military wing==