Bukan; The Plan to Remove Kurdish Names from the Public Sphere, Ordered by Security Agencies and Implemented by the Municipality
June 21, 2026; in a recent meeting between security agencies, the Amaken Bureau (Public Places Supervision Office), and the Bukan Municipality, a plan to change Kurdish names in the market, public spaces, and shop signs was placed on the agenda. In the first action, the name of a shop on "Mohammad Rasulullah" Street in Bukan was changed from "Rasan" (ڕاسان) to "Asan" (اسان).
An informed source, while confirming this news to Kurdpa, stated: Since the beginning of May/June 2026, during a meeting between the Bukan Intelligence Department, the Amaken Bureau, and certain members of the Bukan City Council, the policy of changing Kurdish names in the market, public places, and shop signs was put on the municipality's agenda. Under this plan, Kurdish names will be extensively removed from shop signs and the city's market. To enforce this, the project has been referred to the Bukan Guilds Department.
According to the source, during this meeting, some members of the city council emphasized that implementing this plan would face public backlash. Consequently, it was decided to initiate the enforcement with specific Kurdish names, including "Kurdistan," "Peshwa" (Leader), "Nishtiman" (Homeland), "Qandil" (part of the Zagros mountain range), "Rasan" (Uprising), and certain other names.
The source added that in one of the initial actions, the Kurdish name "Rasan" was removed from the sign of a store located on "Mohammad Rasulullah" Street in Bukan and changed to "Asan".
From a human rights perspective, implementing a plan to remove or change Kurdish names from shop signs and public places can be considered an instance of restricting the cultural and linguistic identity of Kurdish citizens and discrimination based on minority status and language. The right to use one's mother tongue and to enjoy one's culture and identity are among the recognized rights of minorities in international human rights instruments. Any organized effort to eliminate the linguistic symbols of a group can be evaluated within the framework of policies of forced cultural assimilation and the restriction of freedom of expression and cultural identity.
In Iranian domestic law, such actions are also disputable under Articles 15 and 19 of the Constitution, which emphasize the permission to use local languages and the equality of all citizens regardless of ethnicity and language. Since there is no general prohibition in Iranian laws against using Kurdish names for commercial units, any targeted policy to remove or alter these names can be viewed as a restriction on the cultural and linguistic rights of Kurdish citizens.
In conclusion, if such a plan is implemented in an organized manner, it can be viewed as part of restrictive policies against Kurdish identity in the public sphere. This is a policy that not only conflicts with Iran's human rights obligations regarding non-discrimination and the protection of minority rights but also contradicts the principles of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran concerning the equality of citizens and the recognition of linguistic and cultural diversity.
