SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) denounced the detention of journalists, activists and members of the political parties in Duhok province, urging authorities there to release the detainees.
The PUK Leadership Council held a meeting led by Co-leaders Bafel Talabani and Lahur Sheikh Jangi in Sulaimani city on Sunday to discuss the latest developments in the Kurdistan Region.
“The leadership council condemns all kinds of detention and imprisonment over freedom of expression and political and civil activities, particularly in Badinan region,” the PUK leadership council said in a statement.
“We call for the immediate release of all detainees, including journalists, civil activists and cadres of the PUK and other parties,” it added.
The Kurdish security forces in Duhok province have detained a number of activists and journalists in Duhok province.
The PUK office in Duhok said on Friday that the security forces had arrested Haval Nazir, a member of the PUK’s social affairs in Duhok, in Darkar sub-district in Zakho over alleged links to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
“We condemn such kinds of detention, and we also condemn the arrests of the others who have been detained without a reason,” head of the PUK office Aras Mohammed Agha said.
“Badinan has become a place of political detention, and this is not acceptable,” he added, calling for the release of Nazir and other detainees.
On February 10, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani accused some of the detainees of being spies and planning to assassinate and blow up diplomatic missions in the Region.
“Those who were detained are not journalists and activists. Some of them were spies of countries and some others attempted to explode buildings and places of foreigners in the Region,” Barzani said in a press conference, referring to diplomatic missions in the Region.
In a statement on Sunday, the governor’s office in Duhok said the court had ordered the detention of those people and that the court would make the final decision about their destiny.
“Freedom of expression and political activities are different from espionage, smuggling and selling weapons and ammunition to the armed groups,” the governor’s office stated.
“The rule of law is sovereign in Duhok, and the political parties won’t take the position of courts and the political cadres won’t take the position of judges,” it added.
