Iran: 167 academics call for Kurdish Language Law

Shafaq News/ A group of 167 professors and faculty members from the University of Kurdistan in Sanandaj, Iran, has issued an official letter to President Massoud Pezeshkian, calling for the drafting of a law that guarantees the right to read and write in one's native language.

The professors requested that the proposed legislation be submitted to the Islamic Consultative Assembly for final approval.

In their letter, the academics referenced Article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Iran ratified in 1966. This article mandates that states with linguistic groups must allow those groups to practice their language freely.

The professors also cited Article 15 of the Iranian Constitution, which grants the right to use regional languages in media and education alongside Persian.

They argued that addressing the needs of linguistic and cultural groups in a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country like Iran would not threaten national security. On the contrary, they said it would promote national unity and reduce social divisions.

This request is part of a recurring annual demand, amidst increasing political and cultural discussions in Iran about identity and the linguistic rights of minorities, particularly the Kurds, who have yet to secure the right to study in their native language.

Estimates suggest that the Kurdish population in Iran ranges from 8 to 10 million, constituting about 10% of the country's total population, although these figures vary due to the lack of official demographic data on ethnic distribution.

The Kurdish community is one of the largest ethnic minorities in Iran, predominantly residing in the western regions of the country.