SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) President Bafel Talabani in a statement on Saturday expressed his heartfelt condolences over the death of Helen Ghassemlou, the wife of the late Kurdish leader Abdulrahman Ghassemlou.
Helen Ghassemlou who is also known as “Nasrin Ghassemlou”, the wife of the late leader Ghassemlou, the former Secrtary-General of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI), died at 89 in Paris on Friday.
“Dr. Ghassemlou is a prominent name and an unforgettable leader in the history of the Kurdish struggle. He had a significant role in the political events of Bashur and Rojhalat and has recorded a history full of pride with his revolutionary beliefs,” Talabani said.
“I convey my heartfelt condolences to the family of Mrs. Helen Ghassemlou wife of martyr Dr. Abdulrahman Ghassemlou,” Talabani added.
Ghassemlou was elected Secretary-General of the KDPI in 1973. He was fluent in eight languages. His book Kurdistan and Kurd has been published in multiple languages and serves as a primary source for Kurdish history.
After Iran’s 1979 revolution in Iran, Ghassemlou was labeled by Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini as an “enemy of God” and a “holy war” was declared against the KDPI.
On July 13, 1989, Ghassemlou was shot dead after he went for a planned meeting with Iranian representatives in Vienna for peace talks.
