Since the end of World War I, the Kurds have had no national rights, and their country Kurdistan was divided and occupied by Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Syria and former Soviet Union as an international colony, and the Kurds have been prosecuted, massacred, assimilated and denied the very basic human rights. Whether the Kurds are demanding full independence or a more limited autonomy or extension of electricity for their villages, in these States the Kurdish people face severe restrictions and harsh oppression. Here is some of what happened to western Kurdistan as an example to the rest of Kurdistan.