The period between the Second and Third Congress of the Kurdistan Students Union, which lasted nearly six years, saw significant changes in the political situation within the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Kurdistan Students Union in particular, and Iraq in general. Among the most important of these changes were the success of the 14 August 1958 Revolution, the fall of the monarchy, the establishment of republican rule in Iraq, the return of President Mustafa Barzani and his comrades from the Soviet Union, the official registration of the Kurdistan Democratic Party as a Kurdish political Party in Iraq, and the beginning of the phase of open work for the Kurdistan Students Union organization.
The success of the revolution in Iraq took Party and organizational work in the Country and especially in the Kurdistan regions to a new phase, which is referred to as the phase of open work. In this phase, the Kurdistan Students Union, as the only organization for the student segment in Kurdistan, quickly began opening committees and branches in most regions and expanding its Activity1.
A few days after the success of the revolution, the leadership of the Students Union decided to hold a large meeting. The meeting was held at the rest area of the Erbil train station with the attendance of the vast majority of the leadership and Delegates from the cities of Erbil, Kirkuk, Sulaymaniyah, and Rawanduz. As a result, the method of work after the revolution and the nature of their relationship with the (General Union of Iraqi Students) organization were decided2.
After the success of the revolution, the relationship between the two organizations (Kurdistan Students Union) and (General Union of Iraqi Students) was heading towards deterioration. The latter organization saw itself in a stronger position, as the organization was composed mostly of communists and was supported by President Abdul Karim Qasim. Without regard for the agreements it had previously made with the Students Union, this organization began opening branch Headquarters in Kurdish cities and opened its own branch under the name (General Union of Iraqi Students) in the city of Erbil. In August 1958 alone, communist students formed a committee called the (High Committee of the General Union of Iraqi Students). This committee was granted an official permit by the state in November 1958. This was the first official permit to be given to a student organization, and 4 November 1958 was set as the date for holding student elections in Iraq. This new Situation that had arisen forced the Students Union organization to some extent to participate in that election, especially since a part of the Party's political bureau was in favor of Kurdish democratic organizations merging with Arab democratic organizations in Iraq under the shadow of the Iraqi Communist Party3.
The Kurdistan Students Union participated in the elections with a list called (The United Democratic Front) representing Kurdish and Arab students, along with the General Union of Iraqi Students. As a result, the vast majority of the list's Delegates, and especially the Delegates of the Kurdistan Students Union, achieved victory in most regions. This once again demonstrated the weight and position of the Students Union in the political arena of Iraq4.
After the elections were held, from 16 to 20 February 1959, the General Congress of Students was held in Baghdad. The Students Union participated in it as a representative of the Kurdistan Democratic Party. In the congress, it was decided that both organizations (Kurdistan Students Union) and (General Union of Iraqi Students) would merge and a new joint organization called (General Union of Students of the Republic of Iraq) would be created. It was also agreed to create a special committee for the affairs of Kurdistan students and to have a newspaper of their own called (Student Struggle)5.
Despite the issuance of the decisions of the General Congress of Students, after a short period passed, the relationship between the two organizations, the Students Union and the (General Union of Students of the Republic of Iraq), became conflicted due to the existence of different political opinions. Both sides tried to resolve the differences by holding a second congress, but the efforts did not have much of a result. In the Third Congress of the (General Union of Students of the Republic of Iraq) on 2 January 1960, a delegation from the Kurdish Students Association in Europe participated, and many topics related to the Kurdish issue were discussed. As a result of this congress, the Kurdistan Students Union was willing to send its representative to the secretariat of the (General Union of Students of the Republic of Iraq), and Kamal Muhiyaddin was appointed to this post. Despite all the differences and problems between them, the relationships between the two organizations continued until the time when the relationship between the Kurdish leadership and the government of the Republic of Iraq completely broke down, which resulted in the 11 September 1961 Revolution6.
The relationship between the two organizations, the Kurdistan Students Union and the General Union of Iraqi Students, went completely towards a split. In 1960, the Sixth World Student Congress was held in Baghdad. The Iraqi government and the General Union of Iraqi Students organization did not allow the Kurdistan Students Union to participate in that congress. They even prevented the delegation of the Kurdish Students Association in Europe from coming to Baghdad and participating in the congress. This was in addition to the repeated closing of the Students Union Headquarters in various cities of Iraq7.
Holding the Third CongressAfter the complete loss of hope by the Kurdistan Students Union in creating a general student organization that would guarantee all the demanded rights of Kurdish students and treat all parties equally, and the backtracking of the General Union of Iraqi Students on the promises it had made throughout the years of joint work to the Kurdistan Students Union and Kurdish students, as well as the final breakdown of political relationships between the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Iraqi government, the Kurdistan Students Union organization decided to hold its Third Congress with the aim of reorganizing its ranks and being free to support all the demands of the Kurdish people in Iraq.
After completing the preparations, the congress was held in March 1961 in the (Al-Kasra) neighborhood of Baghdad, with the slogan (Let Newroz bea motivefor thestruggle forthe unity of theKurdish students of Iraq) and its work lasted for three days8.
Regarding the date and location of the Third Congress of the Kurdistan Students Union, there are several different opinions, including holding the congress in 1957 in the (Al-Adhamiya) neighborhood of Baghdad9. Also, the date of March 18, 1961, in the city of Sulaymaniyah10, or the date of March 19, also in the city of Sulaymaniyah11.
Regarding the date of the congress, there is no such document available that indicates the year 1957, and the amended bylaws and program of the congress itself have the year 1961 written on them12. Regarding the location of the congress, opinions differ, and here, based on the research that has been conducted, the city of Baghdad seems more accurate13.
The work of the congress lasted for three days, and during that time, the political and cultural Situation and the Situation of education in the regions of Kurdistan were evaluated and discussed. In the congress, it was decided to amend the bylaws and program, and after the members voted, a secretary and a new secretariat were elected for the organization, which were as follows:
1- Sarwar KakaHama Darwesh, Secretary
2- Fuad Ahmad Baban
3- Haidar Hamza Khadr
4- Hama Chawshin
5- Mamun Dabbagh14.
In that same congress, a committee was also formed to carry out the affairs of the students, whose members were:
1- Taib Jabbar Barwari
2- Kamal Abdulkarim Zidan
3- Muhamad Penjweni
4- Mustafa Pishdari
5- Aziz Salih
6- Jamila Sabir Qadir, member of the15.
After the outbreak of the September Revolution and the joining of the members of the Students Union to the ranks of the revolution, each of Mamun Dabbagh and Hama Chawshin, members of the secretariat, joined the revolution. Sarwar Kaka Hama, Secretary of the Students Union, in 1962 by the General Security Agency of the government of Iraq was arrested. To fill the vacant position of secretary, Haidar Hamza Khadr was appointed as secretary and remained as secretary until the holding of the Fourth Congress16.
Sources and footnotes
1- Erfan Aziz Aziz, Congress and Conferences of the Kurdistan Students Union, first edition, (Erbil-Rojhalat Printing House-2012), p. 25.
2- Majid Hassan Ali, The Kurdish Student Movement in Iraq (1926-1970), Master's Thesis/Salahaddin University in Erbil 2008, Spirez Publications, (Erbil- Haji Hashim Printing House), p. 134.
3- Ibid., p. 135.
4- Sasan Awni, Kurdistan Students Union: Some Aspects of Struggle and History, (Erbil - Ministry of Education Press - 1998), p. 15.
5- Majid Hassan Ali, previous source, p. 137.
6- Ibid., pp. 137-138.
7- Sasan Awni, previous source, p. 16.
8- Gulan Magazine, Gulan Media Institution, Issue 21, Erbil, 25 February 1998 AD, p. 43; Majid Hassan Ali, previous source, p. 143.
9- Sasan Awni, previous source, p. 14.
10- Irfan Aziz Aziz, previous source, p. 29.
11- Ahmad Sharif Lak, Analysis of Historical Events: Some Pages of theHistory of theNation,Volume One, SecondEdition,(Erbil -RojhalatPress - 2019 AD), pp. 104, 105.12- Constitution of the Kurdistan Students Union - Iraq, Third Congress, (no place - 1961 AD).13- Majid Hassan Ali, previous source, p. 143.14- Irfan Aziz Aziz, previous source, p. 30.15- Ka
mal Ab
dulka
rim Ghidan Al-
Rawdi, KhabatiQutabian Magazine, Organ of theKurdistan Students Union, Issue85, (Erbil, RojhalatPress, June 2009), p. 14. 16- Majid Hassan Ali, previous source, p. 145.17- (This field was not present in the source but is required by schema, returning empty string)(This field was not present in the source but is required by schema, returning empty string)(This field was not present in the source but is required by schema, returning empty string)(This field was not present in the source but is required by schema, returning empty string)
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