ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdish farmer Mohammed Amin was released on bail Monday after being questioned over allegedly insulting an Iraqi soldier. The incident stemmed from a viral video in mid-February, where the soldier was seen forcefully removing Amin from his tractor in Kirkuk.
Amin, who is also the head of the farmers' defense committee in Kirkuk’s northwestern Sargaran district, had filed a complaint against the Iraqi soldier for forcibly removing him.
In response, the soldier filed a counter-complaint, accusing the Kurdish farmer of insulting him and the Iraqi army institution.
However, Amin denied the allegations. “At that time, I had no chance to speak [to insult the soldier and the Iraqi army] as my scarf was being pulled so tightly around my neck, I could hardly breathe, as seen in the videos,” the Kurdish farmer told reporters following his hearing at a court in Dibis northwest of Kirkuk.
"I presented my statements to the court and declared my innocence of all the charges and accusations lodged against me, as they were all fabricated claims with no basis in truth," he added.
The court released Amin on bail of two million Iraqi dinars, around $1,526.
However, the Kurdish farmer emphasized that "this is not the end" and expressed hope that the case “will not be steered in the wrong direction,” but instead hoped that a judgement is made based on evidence, facts and witness testimonies, “as they are completely clear.”
Tensions in Sargaran escalated in mid-February when Iraqi security forces forcefully barred Kurdish farmers from accessing their lands, which had been seized during the Baath era and given to Arab settlers, in a move that was seemingly aimed at altering the demographic makeup of oil-rich Kirkuk and other disputed areas.
Raw footage from the incident, filmed by Rudaw, showed Iraqi army and anti-riot forces clashing with civilians from Sargaran’s Shanagha village as they tried to enter their farmland. The video, which has since gone viral, also depicted an Iraqi security officer trying to forcibly remove Amin from his tractor, dragging him by his scarf. Amin later filed a complaint against the soldier.
The Kurdish farmer pointed out on Monday that "the soldier has not yet been summoned to give his statement.” He urged the court to ensure that justice takes its course and “hold accountable anyone who is guilty or violates the law."
In mid-February, the Iraqi presidency ratified the land restitution law aimed at returning lands confiscated under the Baath era to their original owners.
The law pertains to 300,000 dunams of land belonging to Kurdish and Turkmen owners in Kirkuk and other disputed areas. The Sargaran sub-district includes 42 villages, five of which are at the center of the dispute: Shanagha, Pelkana, Sarbashakh, Gabaraka, and Kharaba.
Land ownership disputes in Kirkuk province are on hold until the Iraqi government provides a framework for implementation to the land restitution law, the spokesperson for the Iraqi Ministry of Justice told Rudaw on Saturday.
