Update: PUK, KDP release detainees after call by KRG PM Barzani
The PUK released Sarkhel Akbar Haji Rostam and the KDP released Peshraw Waisi on Sunday, Rudaw has learned.
Rostam said at a press conference that he was treated well.
"Thank you, thank you very much," he said on Sunday.
The move came after calls by KRG leadership and widespread cries of tribalism.
Sarkhel Rostam was released by the PUK on January 6, 2019. Photo: Submitted to Rudaw
Peshraw Waisi was released by the KDP on January 6, 2019. Photo: Submitted to Rudaw
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KRG PM Barzani calls on PUK, KDP to release political prisoners
12:10 p.m.
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) PM Nechirvan Barzani slammed retaliatory arrests made by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) calling on both sides to end illegal detentions on Sunday.
Barzani has criticized the random retaliatory arrests by the KDP and PUK, without an arrest warrant from court. He is KDP deputy.
The KDP-PUK row began after the PUK Asayesh (Security) detained the son of a tribal leader close to the KDP in Garmiyan.
Akbar Haji Rostam is a tribal leader in Garmiyan with ties to the KDP. He and his sons have reportedly been involved in criminal activity. Rostam has appeared on TV in the past, saying he is above the law and daring anyone to arrest him.
His son Sarkhel Akbar Haji Rostam was arrested in December by security forces connected with the PUK. It is not immediately clear what charges he is or maybe facing.
In retaliation, the KDP Asayesh detained a member of the PUK in Erbil.
On Wednesday night, Erbil Asayesh, which as ties to the KDP, raided the home of Peshraw Waisi, a member of the PUK executive in the capital.
“They said they would take him for 10 minutes and investigate him, but he is yet to be freed," said his brother Ranjdar Waisi.
The director of Erbil’s Asayesh, Tariq Nouri, said Waisi will be held until Rostam is freed.
"As long as the fate of Akbar Haji Rostam's son is unknown and he is not freed, this PUK cadre won't be freed," said Nouri.
PM Barzani called on PUK's Lahur Talabany, the Director of Zanyari (Intelligence) and Esmat Argushi, the head of the Erbil Asayesh to "immediately" release Rostam and Waisi.
The PUK branch in Erbil subsequently released a televised statement denouncing the arrest.
Erbil security agencies “raid our comrades at night on illegal bases,” the party said, adding the situation has evolved from individual cases into a “phenomenon.”
Four of their members have been arrested, the PUK said. They are "kidnapped" by "masked and special forces" at night and are taken to unknown locations.
They called on the parliament, judiciary, and the independent human rights commission of Kurdistan to "undertake their responsibility," and resolve the matter, adding that Erbil’s Asayesh is responsible for protecting the lives and property of those within their jurisdiction.
The respective police forces of Erbil and Sulaimani have previously each accused the other of sheltering criminals.
The Erbil branch of the PUK said they want to see their party bring the problem to their meetings with the KDP during talks to form the next Kurdistan Regional Government.
The row has sparked flashbacks to the civil war era when members of both parties were frequently arrested in territory controlled by the other.