SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region - The three main Islamic parties in the Kurdistan Region welcomed the imminent release of radical Kurdish cleric Mulla Krekar from prison in Norway, hoping for an end to the decade-long legal battle that has kept him away from his native Kurdistan.
Krekar is wanted in Kurdistan on terrorism charges that date back to late the 1990s and early 2000 when he founded and ran the radical Ansar al-Islam, a group which has had links to al-Qaida. He has also faced multiple legal processes in Norway, where he has lived since 1991.
“If the political climate allows it, we would like to see Mulla Krekar back in Kurdistan,” said Anwar Sangawi from the Kurdistan Islamic Party (Komal). “The way they arrested him (in Norway), they violated his rights.”
Two of the ruling parties in Kurdistan, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), have accused Krekar of masterminding terror actions against noncombatants in the late 1990s and want him tried in a Kurdish court.
“It will not be easy for Krekar to come back to Kurdistan, since there are people who would take him to court for mass crimes if he returned,” said Fazil Basharati, a former KDP parliamentarian.
Krekar is expected to leave prison on January 25, after serving a two-year sentence for threatening Norwegian politicians for allegedly not dropping lawsuits against him in Norway.
If Krekar manages to return to Kurdistan, it will not be the first time legal obstacles are removed for a wanted extremist to return to Kurdistan. In 2011, authorities facilitated the return of the wanted Islamist militant Dilshad Garmiani after a decade of hiding in neighboring Iran.
Some believe Krekar has already served his sentence and should be reincorporated into the Kurdish society.
“He should have never resorted to militancy,” said Omar Muhammad, from the Kurdistan Islamic Union. “Hopefully, he can serve his country much better this time,” he added.
But according to Basharati, “Kurdish people have no use of Mulla Krekar.” He said, “People need healers not culprits.”
