SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region — Security forces (Asayesh) in Sulaimani are to blame because they want to "target and defame" the New Generation, its leader Shaswar Abdulwahid said on Friday. Earlier in the day, Asayesh released a video with five people close to Abdulwahid saying they were confessing to the blackmail, slander, and defamation of New Generation politicians.
“They want to target and defame the New Generation and me. We have resisted in the past as much we could," Abdulwahid told reporters at a press conference in Sulaimani on Friday.
He claimed that the ruling parties have constantly tried to “diminish” the party and he has notified all embassies and consulates in Iraq of this "repulsive scenario" because no judge would believe the confession videos.
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) is the dominant party in Sulaimani, while the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) is the largest in the self-autonomous region in Iraq.
“When we took this path we knew that it is a difficult path. We also knew that changing a system or toppling a KDP and PUK establishment in Kurdistan is not easy," said Abdulwahid, who founded the New Generation last year prior to the Iraqi and Kurdistan Region elections.
His comments came after Asayesh in Sulaimani released footage of New Generation party members who said they were confessing to blackmail, slander, and defamation via social media.
New Generation member Hikmat Shakir Bilal, 27, said in the video that Abdulwahid directly supervised blackmail operations of party MPs.
Abdulwahid founded Nalia Media Group that owns NRT, Nalia Media Corporation. After forming New Generation, he has claimed that he no longer runs the media organization. Bilal is the secretary of Abdulwahid.
Bilal was with Rawand Najmadeen Hama Salih, a manager at Nalia Group, on April 21, he detailed in the video. Bilal claimed Hama Salih, 33, received a message from Abdulwahid asking for all evidence and files on party MPs.
“Rawand Najmadeen asked me if I knew of any sexual videos of them, or any of their private things,” Bilal said in the video.
He claimed Hama Salih had asked his brother for a "burner" phone SIM card to threaten Shadi Nawzad, a female New Generation lawmaker in the Kurdistan Region's parliament. Nawzad had filed a complaint in April after alleging that she was being blackmailed by text message with threats of circulating nude videos of her.
Bilal said in the video that on February 18 Abdulwahid had given him a "red flash card," requesting that he hold it for safe-keeping.
Hama Salih gave a similar account on the video, saying Abdulwahid messaged him on WhatsApp tied to a European phone number used by the New Generation leader.
Through Hama Salih's nephew, he tried to obtain a "burner" SIM card in order to threaten MPs via text message under the direction of Abdulwahid.
“My conscious hurts me for the things I have done and I deeply regret them,” Hama Salih said in the video.
Hama Salih and Bilal wore pajamas in the video, often blinking, looking down, and not directly at the camera.
“I have wanted to leave, but the reason why I stayed was the pressure, insults and threats that he, Shaswar Abdulwahid, has made against me and Rawand in the WhatsApp group," Bilal said.
Zardasht Ahmad Mohammed, age 29, Shko Ako Mohammed age 25, and Hazhar Rauf also confessed to having run the “unofficial” pages of New Generation and slandering Kurdish leaders and parties.
“We would slander and defame non-New Generation politicians and leaders,” Zardasht said, claiming it was with the knowledge of Abdulwahid.
They claimed that some unofficial pages were sponsored by Abdulwahid to target opponents, but Abdulwahid denied it during the press conference.
“What is strange is that during these 15 days not a single speech or document has been released. Why do they release them now?" the party leader posited.
However, Judge Omer Ahmed, spokesman of the Sulaimani court, rejected New Generation's accusations last week.
"Whenever Asayesh forces have raided New Generation's headquarters, they have done so by court order and carrying judge-issued arrest warrants," Ahmed told Rudaw at the time.
“Why do we have courts? Why are not these confessions conducted at courts by Asayesh?" Abdulwahid questioned at the press conference on Friday.
Abdulwahid said that the member who was tried on the first day had told judges that the party leader had requested the member not to defame anyone.
“We will continue and not give up,” Abdulwahid vowed. His party holds eight seats in the 111-member Kurdistan Region parliament and four in the 329-seat legislature in Baghdad.
Two of the party’s MPs in Baghdad and four in Erbil have continued to support Abdulwahid as leader throughout the crisis.
New Generation has decided to expel members it deems disloyal, the party’s Supreme Council said in a statement on Sunday.
“They want to target and defame the New Generation and me. We have resisted in the past as much we could," Abdulwahid told reporters at a press conference in Sulaimani on Friday.
He claimed that the ruling parties have constantly tried to “diminish” the party and he has notified all embassies and consulates in Iraq of this "repulsive scenario" because no judge would believe the confession videos.
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) is the dominant party in Sulaimani, while the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) is the largest in the self-autonomous region in Iraq.
“When we took this path we knew that it is a difficult path. We also knew that changing a system or toppling a KDP and PUK establishment in Kurdistan is not easy," said Abdulwahid, who founded the New Generation last year prior to the Iraqi and Kurdistan Region elections.
His comments came after Asayesh in Sulaimani released footage of New Generation party members who said they were confessing to blackmail, slander, and defamation via social media.
New Generation member Hikmat Shakir Bilal, 27, said in the video that Abdulwahid directly supervised blackmail operations of party MPs.
Abdulwahid founded Nalia Media Group that owns NRT, Nalia Media Corporation. After forming New Generation, he has claimed that he no longer runs the media organization. Bilal is the secretary of Abdulwahid.
Bilal was with Rawand Najmadeen Hama Salih, a manager at Nalia Group, on April 21, he detailed in the video. Bilal claimed Hama Salih, 33, received a message from Abdulwahid asking for all evidence and files on party MPs.
“Rawand Najmadeen asked me if I knew of any sexual videos of them, or any of their private things,” Bilal said in the video.
He claimed Hama Salih had asked his brother for a "burner" phone SIM card to threaten Shadi Nawzad, a female New Generation lawmaker in the Kurdistan Region's parliament. Nawzad had filed a complaint in April after alleging that she was being blackmailed by text message with threats of circulating nude videos of her.
Bilal said in the video that on February 18 Abdulwahid had given him a "red flash card," requesting that he hold it for safe-keeping.
The memory card contained personal sexual videos and footage of party MPs which were recorded through “hidden CCTV," Bilal added. The footage was recorded at residences of the MPs at Nalia-owned German Village and Chavi Land’s residential cabins, Bilal said in the video.
Hama Salih gave a similar account on the video, saying Abdulwahid messaged him on WhatsApp tied to a European phone number used by the New Generation leader.
Through Hama Salih's nephew, he tried to obtain a "burner" SIM card in order to threaten MPs via text message under the direction of Abdulwahid.
“My conscious hurts me for the things I have done and I deeply regret them,” Hama Salih said in the video.
Hama Salih and Bilal wore pajamas in the video, often blinking, looking down, and not directly at the camera.
“I have wanted to leave, but the reason why I stayed was the pressure, insults and threats that he, Shaswar Abdulwahid, has made against me and Rawand in the WhatsApp group," Bilal said.
Zardasht Ahmad Mohammed, age 29, Shko Ako Mohammed age 25, and Hazhar Rauf also confessed to having run the “unofficial” pages of New Generation and slandering Kurdish leaders and parties.
“We would slander and defame non-New Generation politicians and leaders,” Zardasht said, claiming it was with the knowledge of Abdulwahid.
They claimed that some unofficial pages were sponsored by Abdulwahid to target opponents, but Abdulwahid denied it during the press conference.
Regarding the arrested members, Abdulwahid said that “these youth have been arrested for 15 days without having access to lawyers — except for the first day when one of them was tried — later they even closed this door from them."
“What is strange is that during these 15 days not a single speech or document has been released. Why do they release them now?" the party leader posited.
However, Judge Omer Ahmed, spokesman of the Sulaimani court, rejected New Generation's accusations last week.
"Whenever Asayesh forces have raided New Generation's headquarters, they have done so by court order and carrying judge-issued arrest warrants," Ahmed told Rudaw at the time.
“Why do we have courts? Why are not these confessions conducted at courts by Asayesh?" Abdulwahid questioned at the press conference on Friday.
Sulaimani Asayesh, the Kurdistan Region Security Agency, have said they are acting upon warrants from investigating judgments.
Abdulwahid said that the member who was tried on the first day had told judges that the party leader had requested the member not to defame anyone.
“We will continue and not give up,” Abdulwahid vowed. His party holds eight seats in the 111-member Kurdistan Region parliament and four in the 329-seat legislature in Baghdad.
Two of the party’s MPs in Baghdad and four in Erbil have continued to support Abdulwahid as leader throughout the crisis.
New Generation has decided to expel members it deems disloyal, the party’s Supreme Council said in a statement on Sunday.
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