Iran’s Kurds and Other Minorities Saw Window of Hope in Antiregime Protests
Kurds in Iranian Kurdistan suffer lethal force and mass arrests during anti-regime protests. Photo courtesy of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI). Iran’s ethnic minorities, who make up nearly half of the country’s population, played a central role in nationwide protests that began on December 28, 2025. Of Iran’s roughly 92 million people, about 61 percent are Persian, while the remainder includes Azerbaijanis at