SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) on Wednesday urged thorough investigations of the suspicious death of the party member, who died at the security forces custody in Erbil.
Earlier yesterday, 40-year-old PUK member, Zirak Ali Mohammed was detained by Erbil security forces (Asayish) at his working site during the noon hours and taken into custody.
Mohammed’s family said that they have been informed of his death hours after making the detention by Asayish. “He was taken alive, but they returned his body for us.”
“He did not have any chronological illnesses. He did not have problems with anybody,” Mohammed’s father said.
“The public prosecutor, judicial council, and the interior ministry have the civil and moral duty to reveal the cause of Mohammed’s death and the motive to detain him,” Chief of PUK’s headquarters in Erbil, Majid Hama Amin said in a press conference.
The PUK official indicated that Mohammed had a street vendor, selling food and tea. He was allegedly trespassed the public property and detained as a result.
“If this is true, this the duty of Municipality to prosecute him not the security forces who have detained him and later informed his family about his death after four hours,” Amin said.
“Asayish is only responsible for crimes relating to terror, drug, and abduction. We want to know why he has been detained by Asayish,” Amin added. “We remain committed to supporting Mohammed’s family until the truth of the incident is revealed.”
He also stressed that if the case remains unresolved they will hand the case to courts in Baghdad to investigate it, saying “What has happened is unacceptable.”
The PUK official further revealed that a committee from Sulaimani forensic medicine arrived in Erbil to carry out “unbiased” investigations and reveal the truth.
