DOCSLIB.ORG

Kurdistan Regional Government

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Kurdistan Regional Government Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 06/01/2021 10:04:58 AM KRG-US May 2021 newsletter 1 message Kurdistan Regional Government - USA <[email protected]> Mon, May 31, 2021 at 7:53 PM Reply-To: [email protected] To: [email protected] Kurdistan Regional Government Representation in the United States Washington D.C. Welcome to our May 2021 Newsletter There is time for consultation before the second reading and those with an interest are encouraged to send their views to the KRG or to the member of parliament representing their community. ts The other significant development was a briefing to the United Nations Security Council by Karim Khan, who leads 9 ■ .■* UNITAD, the UN team investigating ISIS’ crimes in Iraq. Mr. Khan said that the team found ‘clear and convincing evidence that the crimes against the Yezidi people clearly constituted genocide.’ % UNITAD has identified 1,444 possible perpetrators of attacks against the Yezidis and 20 who may have been responsible for The month of May began with a visit to the the mass murder of cadets and military Kurdistan Region by the Biden personnel at the Tikrit Air Academy, also Administration’s Middle East team, jointly known as Camp Speicher, in 2014. led by Brett McGurk, National Security Council Coordinator for the Middle East Kurdistan’s constitution and North Africa, and Derek Chollet, Counsellor at the State Department. Domestically, there is an ongoing public The high-level delegation met with the debate on the Kurdistan Region’s leadership of Kurdistan and reaffirmed constitution. The debate was brought to the America’s support for the Region and the forefront at a conference earlier this month friendship that has seen the peshmerga hosted by the University of Kurdistan and American soldiers fight tyranny and Hewler, titled The Kurdistan Region of Iraq terrorism side by side. - Unity and Constitution. Among the speakers were the President, Prime Soon after this visit, a second delegation Minister, and Speaker of the Kurdistan headed to Erbil, this time led by Joey Parliament, as well as the Special Hood, Acting Assistant Secretary of State Representative of the United Nations for Near Eastern Affairs. Secretary-General in Iraq. These exchanges are important and timely, jhe |raqj constitution allows for the coming at a moment of political uncertainty Kurdistan Region t0 have its own Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 06/01/2021 10:04:58 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 06/01/2021 10:04:58 AM and increasing security challenges, both constitution, a draft of which was passed from ISIS and militia groups. Underscoring by Parliament in 2009 but was later halted friendships and having frank and open due to political differences. There is now a discussions on issues of mutual concern renewed effort to draft a constitution that is are critical to maintaining the strong for all citizens, whatever their ethnicity, partnership between Kurdistan and faith, gender, or social group. President Washington. Due to restrictions stemming Nechirvan Barzani has visited the leaders from the covid-19 pandemic, there have of the main political parties in Kurdistan to been fewer in-person high-level meetings exchange ideas and consult with them on than in the past, but we hope that this will the constitution. change as the vaccine roll-out continues and the threat from COVID-19 diminishes. At the conference, President Barzani said, ‘We want the constitution to organize the Justice for genocide political system of Kurdistan, to enforce rule of law in this country, to make all the There were two significant developments [religious and ethnic] groups in Kurdistan this month in the effort to bring to justice feel safe in this country and feel like they those responsible for genocide against the will have a better future for themselves and Yezidis, Christians, and others in Iraq. their descendants.’ The Kurdistan Parliament had the first reading of the draft law to establish a You can read about these events and tribunal for crimes committed by the Islamic developments in this month’s newsletter State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The draft law below. seeks to provide a legal framework to create a tribunal to help the victims of ISIS Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman find justice and accountability for what they Representative to the United States endured. Kurdistan Regional Government IVl.li A * i > _ KRG Representative meets with Representative Abdul Rahman meets Congressman Ted Deutch with DASD Stroul Representative Bayan Sami Abdul Representative Bayan Sami Abul Rahman Rahman met with Congressman Ted and Dana Stroul, the Department of Deutch (D-FL), Chairman of Subcommittee Defense Deputy Assistant Secretary for the of the House Foreign Affairs Committee... Middle East, held a virtual meeting... Read more Read more Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 06/01/2021 10:04:58 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 06/01/2021 10:04:58 AM / KRG Representative meets with Representative and TAPS President Chairman of the Canadian Parliamentary discuss NGO’s US and international Friends of the Kurds work Representative Bayan Sami Abdul Representative Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman met Ziad Aboultaif, a member of Rahman had a virtual meeting with Bonnie parliament representing Edmonton Carroll, founder, and president of the Manning, Alberta, and chairman of the... Tragedy Assistance Program for... Read more Read more Season 2 Episode 5 - Interview with Colonel Myles Caggins MAY 26,2021 KURDISTAN REGIONAL GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATION IN THE UNITED STATES SEASON: 2 EPISODE: 5 o Kurdistan in America KURDISTAN view with Colonel Myles Cage IN iiiihh AMERICA |< 03:08 I 33:45 This month, the Kurdistan in America podcast is honored to have Colonel Myles Caggins as its guest. Colonel Caggins currently serves as the Director of the Public Affairs for the U.S. Army’s III Corps at Fort Hood, Texas, and was the former Spokesperson for the Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve: The international military intervention against ISIS. He shares with us his upbringing, lifelong professional experience in the U.S. Army, including his views of and encounters with the people of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and Rojava (North-East Syria) while serving as the Spokesperson for the Anti-ISIS Coalition and since his return to the United States. He also talks about his hopes of visiting Kurdistan in the future in a personal capacity. Listen to the podcast Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 06/01/2021 10:04:58 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 06/01/2021 10:04:58 AM Sign Up for KRG Updates u * < - United States reaffirms support for Kurdistan Region Erbil, Kurdistan Region, May 5, 2021 A high-level delegation from the United States conveyed the greetings of President Joe Biden and the US Secretaries of State and Defense to the Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, reiterating the... Read more presidency.gov. krd *rm S3 V ^3 Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 06/01/2021 10:04:58 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 06/01/2021 10:04:58 AM President Nechirvan Barzani receives US delegation Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani received a US delegation consisting of Mr. Joey Hood, the Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs; Ms. Aimee Cutrona, Deputy Assistant... Read more presidency.gov.krd i V President Barzani meets Coalition Deputy Commander-in-Chief Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani received Brigadier Richard Bell, the Deputy Commanding General of the Coalition Forces in Iraq and Syria. President Nechirvan Barzani congratulated Brigadier Bell... Read more presidency.gov.krd Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 06/01/2021 10:04:58 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 06/01/2021 10:04:58 AM RIS 0RIS l?.!U«»m mm 4mi Imnumti Sttmn* m President Barzani speaks at the Unity and Constitution Forum Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani attended "The Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Unity and Constitution" conference in Erbil on Wednesday and took part in the last panel discussion of the conference.... Read more presidency.gov.krd U"1 ' * 0 * 5SS A *775 a __ __ -m Kurdistan President meets with Iraq's Parliament Speaker Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani received Mr. Muhammad Al- Halbousi, the Speaker of Iraq's Parliament, in Erbil on Monday. Discussions Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 06/01/2021 10:04:58 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 06/01/2021 10:04:58 AM covered the developments in the country, the upcoming general... Read more presidency.gov.krd 1 K. 7*1* £ * 9. m PM Barzani holds meeting on Kurdistan's draft budget bill Prime Minister Masrour Barzani today chaired a special meeting of the cabinet to discuss the Kurdistan Region's 2021 draft budget bill. Prime Minister highlighted the need for the bill ... Read more gov.krd m i / Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 06/01/2021 10:04:58 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 06/01/2021 10:04:58 AM Council of Ministers approves two bills and explores reforms Prime Minister Masrour Barzani today convened the Council of Ministers to discuss the implementation of the reform law and the ambitious restructuring of government spending in the... Read more gov.krd § , / 5 r:a 4 Prime Minister Barzani receives US Delegation Prime Minister Masrour Barzani today received a US delegation led by Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Joey Hood. Both sides reviewed bilateral relations... Read more gov.krd Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 06/01/2021 10:04:58 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 06/01/2021 10:04:58 AM $ , V > 11 m 1 9^ r . PM Barzani meets with Coalition Deputy Commander-in-Chief Skip to the content Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (GOV.KRD) - Prime Minister Masrour Barzani today welcomed Brigadier General Richard Bell, the new Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Coalition forces in Iraq and Syria, to discuss the current..
Load more

Recommended publications
  • 1 the Monthly Report from Kurdistan Region of Iraq for November 2015 Political Ammar Al-Hakim Visited in Sulaimani Sulaimani
    The monthly report from Kurdistan region of Iraq for November 2015 Political Ammar al-Hakim visited in Sulaimani Sulaimani news (2nd of November, 2015) Sulaimani: Iraqi cleric and politician who leads the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq arrived in Sulaimani city in Kurdistan region , Al – Hakim met in Sulemaina with Kosrat Rasoul the senior member of PUK . Former Iraqi Yazidi MP elected as mayor of Sinjar (2nd of November, 2015) Dahouk - Sinjar: Sinjar council’s members elected former Iraqi MP, Mahma Khalil, as new mayor of the Yazidi district of Sinjar (Shingal in Kurdish) in northwest Iraq. Swedish defense and foreign ministers arrived in Erbil Rudaw media net work (3rd of November, 2015) Erbil: Swedish defense and foreign ministers arrived in the Kurdistan region capital Erbil for talks on the fight against Islamic State (IS) and Swedish support for Peshmerga forces. Both ministers met Massoud Barzani the president of Kurdistan region and Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani. The Swedish delegation was received by Falah Mustafa, the head of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s foreign relations department, and Karim Shingali, the Kurdistan region’s interior minister. Turkish FM arrived in Kurdistan and hold a meeting with Barzani Hawler news paper (4th of November, 2015) Erbil: Turkish Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioglu arrived in Erbil. Sinirlioglu met with met president of Kurdistan region Massoud Barzani and (KRG) s Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani. The Turkish FM also participated in one of the session arranged by Middle East Research Institute (MERI) in Erbil. Iraqi parliament speaker visited Sulaimani 1 Puk media (5th of November, 2015) Sulaimani: Iraqi parliament speaker Salim Al Jibouri arrived in Sulaimani city on and he visited former Iraqi president Jalal Talabani.
    [Show full text]
  • Iraq: Opposition to the Government in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI)
    Country Policy and Information Note Iraq: Opposition to the government in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) Version 2.0 June 2021 Preface Purpose This note provides country of origin information (COI) and analysis of COI for use by Home Office decision makers handling particular types of protection and human rights claims (as set out in the Introduction section). It is not intended to be an exhaustive survey of a particular subject or theme. It is split into two main sections: (1) analysis and assessment of COI and other evidence; and (2) COI. These are explained in more detail below. Assessment This section analyses the evidence relevant to this note – i.e. the COI section; refugee/human rights laws and policies; and applicable caselaw – by describing this and its inter-relationships, and provides an assessment of, in general, whether one or more of the following applies: • A person is reasonably likely to face a real risk of persecution or serious harm • The general humanitarian situation is so severe as to breach Article 15(b) of European Council Directive 2004/83/EC (the Qualification Directive) / Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights as transposed in paragraph 339C and 339CA(iii) of the Immigration Rules • The security situation presents a real risk to a civilian’s life or person such that it would breach Article 15(c) of the Qualification Directive as transposed in paragraph 339C and 339CA(iv) of the Immigration Rules • A person is able to obtain protection from the state (or quasi state bodies) • A person is reasonably able to relocate within a country or territory • A claim is likely to justify granting asylum, humanitarian protection or other form of leave, and • If a claim is refused, it is likely or unlikely to be certifiable as ‘clearly unfounded’ under section 94 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002.
    [Show full text]
  • Genealogy of the Concept of Securitization and Minority Rights
    THE KURD INDUSTRY: UNDERSTANDING COSMOPOLITANISM IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY by ELÇIN HASKOLLAR A Dissertation submitted to the Graduate School – Newark Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Program in Global Affairs written under the direction of Dr. Stephen Eric Bronner and approved by ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ Newark, New Jersey October 2014 © 2014 Elçin Haskollar ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION The Kurd Industry: Understanding Cosmopolitanism in the Twenty-First Century By ELÇIN HASKOLLAR Dissertation Director: Dr. Stephen Eric Bronner This dissertation is largely concerned with the tension between human rights principles and political realism. It examines the relationship between ethics, politics and power by discussing how Kurdish issues have been shaped by the political landscape of the twenty- first century. It opens up a dialogue on the contested meaning and shape of human rights, and enables a new avenue to think about foreign policy, ethically and politically. It bridges political theory with practice and reveals policy implications for the Middle East as a region. Using the approach of a qualitative, exploratory multiple-case study based on discourse analysis, several Kurdish issues are examined within the context of democratization, minority rights and the politics of exclusion. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, archival research and participant observation. Data analysis was carried out based on the theoretical framework of critical theory and discourse analysis. Further, a discourse-interpretive paradigm underpins this research based on open coding. Such a method allows this study to combine individual narratives within their particular socio-political, economic and historical setting.
    [Show full text]
  • Kurdistan Region...” - Former Consul-General of the People’S Republic of China to Erbil
    MIDDLE EAST, NORTH AFRICA China’s Cooperation with the Iraqi Kurdistan Region OE Watch Commentary: The accompanying passages from local sources discuss China’s growing diplomatic and economic relationship with the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR). As the passages discuss, this is taking place amid China’s plans to significantly upgrade its diplomatic presence in Erbil, the IKR capital. As the first passage from Chinese Xinhua notes, in late July, China’s Consul General in Erbil, Ni Ruchi met with the IKR President Nechirvan Barzani in Erbil to discuss deepening cooperation in the fields of energy and infrastructure, “within the framework of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative.” The passage also notes that the two sides discussed the political situation and efforts to rebuild areas that were destroyed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), as well as cooperation between their respective private sectors. This meeting followed a previous meeting in April, when then-Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani received an invitation to China. The second passage from a Kurdish source discusses a proposal by the region’s private sector to the Chinese representatives in Erbil. According to the passage, the Vice President of the local Union of Importers and Exporters suggested that China open a trade center in the region to use as a central hub from which to market and sell its technological products in the region. The Chinese Consul General is reported to have supported the idea. In addition, the Chinese private sector is encouraged to develop economic and trade cooperation with the IKR. Specifically, as the final passage discusses, China has been supporting companies like Huawei, Sinoma-Suzhou, and China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) to invest in the region for several years.
    [Show full text]
  • Turkey-Kurdish Regional Government Relations After the US Withdrawal
    FOR THIS AND OTHER PUBLICATIONS, VISIT US AT http://www.carlisle.army.mil/ UNITED STATES ARMY WAR COLLEGE Visit our website for other free publication downloads PRESS http://www.StrategicStudiesInstitute.army.mil/ Carlisle Barracks, PA and To rate this publication click here. TURKEY-KURDISH REGIONAL GOVERNMENT RELATIONS AFTER THE U.S. WITHDRAWAL FROM IRAQ: PUTTING THE KURDS ON THE MAP? U.S. ARMY WAR COLLEGE Bill Park This Publication SSI Website USAWC Website The United States Army War College The United States Army War College educates and develops leaders for service at the strategic level while advancing knowledge in the global application of Landpower. The purpose of the United States Army War College is to produce graduates who are skilled critical thinkers and complex problem solvers. Concurrently, it is our duty to the U.S. Army to also act as a “think factory” for commanders and civilian leaders at the strategic level worldwide and routinely engage in discourse and debate concerning the role of ground forces in achieving national security objectives. The Strategic Studies Institute publishes national security and strategic research and analysis to influence policy debate and bridge the gap between military and academia. The Center for Strategic Leadership and Development CENTER for contributes to the education of world class senior STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP and DEVELOPMENT leaders, develops expert knowledge, and provides U.S. ARMY WAR COLLEGE solutions to strategic Army issues affecting the national security community. The Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute provides subject matter expertise, technical review, and writing expertise to agencies that develop stability operations concepts and doctrines.
    [Show full text]
  • Kurdistan Rising? Considerations for Kurds, Their Neighbors, and the Region
    KURDISTAN RISING? CONSIDERATIONS FOR KURDS, THEIR NEIGHBORS, AND THE REGION Michael Rubin AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE Kurdistan Rising? Considerations for Kurds, Their Neighbors, and the Region Michael Rubin June 2016 American Enterprise Institute © 2016 by the American Enterprise Institute. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be used or reproduced in any man- ner whatsoever without permission in writing from the American Enterprise Institute except in the case of brief quotations embodied in news articles, critical articles, or reviews. The views expressed in the publications of the American Enterprise Institute are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff, advisory panels, officers, or trustees of AEI. American Enterprise Institute 1150 17th St. NW Washington, DC 20036 www.aei.org. Cover image: Grand Millennium Sualimani Hotel in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan, by Diyar Muhammed, Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons. Contents Executive Summary 1 1. Who Are the Kurds? 5 2. Is This Kurdistan’s Moment? 19 3. What Do the Kurds Want? 27 4. What Form of Government Will Kurdistan Embrace? 56 5. Would Kurdistan Have a Viable Economy? 64 6. Would Kurdistan Be a State of Law? 91 7. What Services Would Kurdistan Provide Its Citizens? 101 8. Could Kurdistan Defend Itself Militarily and Diplomatically? 107 9. Does the United States Have a Coherent Kurdistan Policy? 119 Notes 125 Acknowledgments 137 About the Author 139 iii Executive Summary wo decades ago, most US officials would have been hard-pressed Tto place Kurdistan on a map, let alone consider Kurds as allies. Today, Kurds have largely won over Washington.
    [Show full text]
  • IRAN and BARZANI: WORSENING RELATIONS and the RISK of an INEVITABLE CLASH? Othman Ali
    ORSAM REVIEW OF ORSAM REVIEW OF REGIONAL AFFAIRS NO.58, JANUARY 2017 REGIONAL AFFAIRS No.58, JANUARY 2017 IRAN AND BARZANI: WORSENING RELATIONS AND THE RISK OF AN INEVITABLE CLASH? Othman Ali The relations between Iran and the Kurdistan Regional Govern- Dr. Othman Ali is Professor ment of Iraq (KRG) have recently experienced a considerable of Modern History of Kurds amount of tension. Iranian officials have given Masud Barzani, at Salahaddin University the president of KRG, stern warnings that they would not toler- in Erbil. He earned his ate any act which they view as a threat to their national security. undergraduate and master’s In this analysis, it is argued that this escalation on the part of degrees from University of Iran is an important component of Iran’s desire to accomplish Guelph and University of a complete control on all Iraqi groups and to recruit Kurdish Toronto. He can read, write and speak English, Arabic, groups for its hegemonic and expansionist policies in the Mid- Turkish, and Kurdish fluently, dle East. Iran has also a major security concern regarding the can read French, Farsi and region which results in a higher tendency to penetrate the KRG Ottoman Turkish. He is affairs politically, economically, and militarily. The goal of such currently a research fellow at policies is to prevent the KRG region from being used by its ma- the Middle East Institute of jor adversaries, namely Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Israel, and the US Sakarya University. and to gain a secure foothold in the KRG region that has a 400- mile border with Iran.
    [Show full text]
  • Games Without Frontiers: Renegotiating the Boundaries of Power in Iraqi Kurdistan
    GAMES WITHOUT FRONTIERS: RENEGOTIATING THE BOUNDARIES OF POWER IN IRAQI KURDISTAN THE MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE MIKE FLEET AND MEGAN CONNELLY JUNE 2021 WWW.MEI.EDU Photo above: Kurdistan parliament speaker Rewaz Faiq (top C), leads a parliament session in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s northern autonomous Kurdish region, on May 25, 2021. Photo by SAFIN HAMED/AFP via Getty Images. Introduction Over the past year, intensifying political and economic conflicts between the Kurdistan Region’s two hegemonic parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of The parties’ efforts Kurdistan (PUK), have challenged the legal and institutional order to renegotiate their in which the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) operates. While financial entitlements power has always been concentrated in an exclusive coalition of and the scope of their partisan elites, the KDP and PUK had each tacitly acknowledged administrative control the other’s de facto autonomy over the territories they governed have so far produced independently from the civil war of the 1990s until the reunification no consensus. of the KRG. But a new generation of leadership within the parties, a fraught relationship with the federal government, and a prolonged economic crisis exacerbated by collapsing oil prices and the global pandemic have strained the KDP-PUK relationship to its breaking point. While the KDP has claimed a majoritarian mandate to govern on a reform platform that eliminates consociational entitlements, the PUK has issued an ultimatum: respect local autonomy and 2 A new generation of leadership, a fraught relationship with [Baghdad], and a prolonged economic crisis exacerbated by collapsing oil prices and the global pandemic have strained the KDP-PUK relationship to its breaking point.” restore an equitable division of power within the KRG or it will in consumer demand during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, withdraw from the governing coalition.
    [Show full text]
  • Can Kurds Coexist with Arabs in Iraq? | the Washington Institute
    MENU Policy Analysis / Fikra Forum Can Kurds Coexist with Arabs in Iraq? Nov 7, 2017 Also available in Arabic Brief Analysis N ovember 7, 2017 Watching a televised debate last week on the current tension between Kurdistan and Iraq, Haitham al-Jibouri, an Iraqi parliamentarian from the dominant Da’awa Party, made this proclamation: “The Barzanis violated the rights of the Kurdish people by misusing power and wealth. We will correct all these misfortunes by smashing the heads of Masoud Barzani and Nechirvan Barzani!” Sadly, such violent abuse directed against the former president and the current prime minister of Kurdistan suggests that for too many Shia politicians in Baghdad, the dispute is not really about the constitution or the referendum, but about their desire for ethnic and sectarian domination and oppression of others. Indeed, over the past few days, some are already talking of amending the very constitution they just pretended to champion, simply in order to further abridge the Kurdish rights guaranteed therein. Other ironies are even more grotesque. For Baghdad to complain about corruption in Erbil, Kurdistan’s capital, is absurdly hypocritical. And for Da’awa politicians to forget that they found refuge in Kurdistan during Saddam’s reign of terror is shameful. Kurds have always suffered from Arab, Turkish, or Persian chauvinism; but in Iraq today, that problem is compounded by Shia sectarian extremism, backed by Iranian expansionism and greed. Yet whatever the rights and wrongs of our current plight, events since the September 25 independence referendum demonstrate that Kurds are in a much weaker position than we believed.
    [Show full text]
  • Urgent Action
    UA: 229/13 Index: MDE 14/015/2013 Iraq Date 20 August 2013 URGENT ACTION KURDISH DETAINEE ON HUNGER STRIKE IN IRAQ A 36-year-old man currently on hunger strike has been detained without charge or trial for 20 months in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. He was held in solitary confinement for the first three months and repeatedly beaten. The authorities accuse him of leaking information about election rigging to a newspaper. Niaz ‘Aziz Saleh, who is married with two daughters, has been on hunger strike for the last two months, protesting against his detention. His family has appointed two lawyers to defend him but they are unable to do anything while he has not been formally charged. Further, the lawyers were prevented by the Asayish (main security forces in the region) from visiting Niaz ‘Aziz Saleh in detention. Niaz ‘Aziz Saleh was working as a registry official in the headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in Salahuddin near Erbil. On 5 January 2012 security officials belonging to the Parastin, the intelligence service of the KDP arrested him from his office. His family did not know anything about his fate or whereabouts until they eventually received a phone call from a security official in the Asayish Gishti (the main security forces) in Erbil telling them that he was held there and they could visit. The family learned that Niaz ‘Aziz Saleh had been beaten repeatedly during interrogation while held in solitary confinement for about three months. In 2011 Levin magazine, a weekly newspaper issued in Sulaymania, published articles detailing how the 2009 parliamentary elections in the Kurdistan region of Iraq had been rigged by the KDP.
    [Show full text]
  • Resetting U.S. Relations with the Kurdistan Region | the Washington Institute
    MENU Policy Analysis / PolicyWatch 2886 Resetting U.S. Relations with the Kurdistan Region by Michael Knights, Bilal Wahab Nov 2, 2017 Also available in Arabic ABOUT THE AUTHORS Michael Knights Michael Knights is the Boston-based Jill and Jay Bernstein Fellow of The Washington Institute, specializing in the military and security affairs of Iraq, Iran, and the Persian Gulf states. Bilal Wahab Bilal Wahab is the Nathan and Esther K. Wagner fellow at The Washington Institute. Brief Analysis Washington's post-referendum reengagement should focus on getting U.S.- Kurdish relations and Kurdish democracy back on the right track. n November 1, the Iraqi Joint Operations Command announced the breakdown of negotiations over the O insertion of federal security forces along the Iraq-Turkey Pipeline route and the Kurdistan Regional Government's border crossings with Turkey and Syria. Baghdad's renewed military threat to enter these areas on November 3 -- and challenge the Kurds' willingness to defend them -- is the first test of America's relationship with KRG prime minister Nechirvan Barzani, who became the region's chief executive after his uncle Masoud resigned the presidency earlier this week. The manner in which Washington handles the crisis could either underpin or undermine a new generation of leaders in Kurdistan. WHAT DO THE LEADERSHIP CHANGES REALLY MEAN? M asoud Barzani stepped down on November 1 and has signaled that he will not run for the presidency again when the KRG holds new elections, which may not occur until June 2018. He took this step in part to remove an obstacle to resuming negotiations with Baghdad, Turkey, Iran, and Washington, some of whom refused to hold talks so long as he remained head of state.
    [Show full text]
  • Turkey and the KRG After the Referendum: Blocking the Path to Independence
    November 22, 2017 Turkey and the KRG After the Referendum: Blocking the Path to Independence The Kurdish Regional Government’s (KRG) decision to proceed with the controversial referendum on independence on September 25, despite Turkey’s serious and sustained objections, has provoked a serious crisis in relations between Ankara and Erbil. It remains to be seen whether the October 29 resignation announcement by KRG President Masoud Barzani, who was denounced by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on October 3 for “ruining with his own hands a relationship that used to go quite well,” will be enough to facilitate a restoration of the close ties which had been developed during the past decade. After it lost control of Kirkuk to Iraqi central government forces on October 16, the KRG offered on October 24 to “freeze” the referendum result, something it had previously resolutely rejected. However, Erdogan chose to back Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar Abadi’s immediate rebuff of this offer and followed up the next day by reaffirming that his “stance on the KRG’s illegitimate referendum decision remained unchanged.” On October 26, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu characterized Erbil’s move as “inadequate” and called for “the cancellation of the referendum.” Parallel to the deterioration of relations between Ankara and Erbil, the referendum has also led to a rare alignment between Turkey and its regional rival Iran as the two countries coordinated their backing of Baghdad’s tough response. While it is unclear whether this will continue, it is interesting to note that, in contrast to its continuing cooperation with Tehran, Ankara had limited contact with Washington at a time of growing tensions between the U.S.
    [Show full text]