The Assassination of Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou in Vienna

Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou unarguably the most educated Kurdish leader of the Iranian Kurds in the 1980s was an iconic warrior figure for his people. He began early on by campaigning for the rights of Kurdish people and from there the journey of his life was filled with excitement and intrigue. Ghassemlou was the Kurdish leader who most contributed to internationalizing the Kurdish question and introduced the concepts of democratic socialism in the liberation movement of Kurdistan. A nationalist intellectual in well-cut suits he gained entre for the Kurds into western societies where his humanistic politics won much respect. Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou earned a Ph.D. Degree in Economics was fluent in eight languages and was an Associate Professor in both Paris and Prague and authored several books and articles about politics and economics He met his wife Helen Krulich in Prague whom he had two daughters Mina and Hiwa. In 1989 Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou was a victim of assassination at the negotiating table for peace with the Iranians.