ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The Kurdistan Communities Group (KCK), the political umbrella group of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), strongly came out against the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) closing the branch offices of Tavgari Azadi in Sulaimani, arguing it goes against Kurdish national unity.
The KCK asserted that the decision had no legal basis, and had no standing in the Kurdistan Region or Iraq’s politics.
“Everyone should know that the Turkish state has exerted pressure, and thus the KDP [Kurdistan Democratic Party] and PUK administration have made such a decision,” said the KCK.
On Thursday, Asayesh (Kurdish Security) forces in Sulaimani started cracking down on Tavgari Azadi by closing its offices.
Earlier this week Qubad Talabani, the deputy prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and a member of the PUK, ordered the closure of offices belonging to all parties not licensed in the Kurdistan Region — even if they are registered in Baghdad.
This step of the PUK makes Kurdish politics subservient to outside pressure, argued the KCK.
“The biggest weakness of Kurdish politics is when instead of national unity and democratic cooperation among Kurds, Kurdish politics operates under the pressure and threats of external powers,” asserted KCK.
The PKK is a banned political party in Turkey that is headquartered in the Qandil Mountains in Erbil province. It has fought an off-and-on sometimes armed conflict against the Turkish state seeking greater political, cultural, and minority rights.
“As long as Kurdish politics doesn’t end this weakness, it can neither make itself a force nor will it be able to fight against the obstructions put against it,” added KCK.
By uniting through depending on the Kurdish nation and democratic politics, the Kurds can resolve issues, argued KCK.
Turkey has effectively isolated Sulaimani by closing its airspace to any flights directly to or from Sulaymaniyah International Airport.
“Submitting to pressure of external forces, and in return pressure is put on other Kurdish parties, is first and foremost not patriotism,” claimed KCK.
The PUK needs to return to the path of the late party founder Jalal Talabani, wrote KCK, adding this submission to Turkish pressure won’t be the end. Talabani was known for his ability to negotiate with various Kurdish and non-Kurdish political actors.
“All the democratic political organizations, intellectuals and our Kurdistani nation will take a stance against this plot against the Tavgari Azadi,” added KCK.
A group of PKK supporters briefly took over the PUK’s office in Snune, north of Mount Shingal on Friday. They shut the office for two hours and took down the party’s flag, in protest of the closure of Tavgari Azadi’s offices in Sulaimani.
“The problem was later resolved through dialogue,” Dawd Jundee, deputy head of PUK headquarters in Shingal, told Rudaw.
Representatives of local parties in Shingal said the youths were not members of their associations.
“They are just troublemakers,” said Omar Salih, head of the Freedom and Democracy Party.
Multiple parties denounced the crackdown. Gorran (Change Movement), the third largest party in the Kurdistan Region’s parliament, called the decision more political than legal.
“No political party can be closed and be barred from political work and civil struggle outside of law and based on a political decision now or in the future,” its parliamentary faction stated on Thursday.
In the previous government Gorran led the opposition to the ruling PUK-KDP.
The regional pressure exerted on the Kurdistan Region should be taken into consideration, but it isn’t enough of a justification for closing the party “illegally,” added Gorran.
A delegation from Gorran’s parliamentary faction also visited the party, pledging to follow up on the application of Tavgari Azadi with the KRG’s Ministry of Interior.
The New Generation bloc in the Kurdistan parliament, a party allied with Tavgari Azadi, denounced the decision, arguing KDP had previously done the same.
“The New Generation faction in the Kurdistan Region’s parliament denounces all the efforts that constitute a real threat to the general freedoms and the imposition of authoritarian authority by the two ruling parties of the Kurdistan Region,” the party stated New Generation on Thursday.
Tara Hussein, spokesperson for the party, said that they can file a lawsuit in the Iraqi federal court, and Iraq’s electoral commission, but that they are trying to resolve it diplomatically through their friends and MPs.
Negotiations typically prevent intra-Kurdistani party disagreements from turning violent. Often loyalists to different parties live in the same areas without quarrel.
Turkey's consul general to Erbil welcomed the actions in Sulaimani on Thursday.
"Undoubtedly, the move made by the PUK is the right one," Hakan Karacay said, describing the party as a "terrorist organization."
Baghdad imposed an international flight ban on the Kurdistan Region’s airports following its independence referendum in September 2017. The Iraqi government lifted the ban in March this year.
The KCK asserted that the decision had no legal basis, and had no standing in the Kurdistan Region or Iraq’s politics.
“Everyone should know that the Turkish state has exerted pressure, and thus the KDP [Kurdistan Democratic Party] and PUK administration have made such a decision,” said the KCK.
On Thursday, Asayesh (Kurdish Security) forces in Sulaimani started cracking down on Tavgari Azadi by closing its offices.
Earlier this week Qubad Talabani, the deputy prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and a member of the PUK, ordered the closure of offices belonging to all parties not licensed in the Kurdistan Region — even if they are registered in Baghdad.
This step of the PUK makes Kurdish politics subservient to outside pressure, argued the KCK.
“The biggest weakness of Kurdish politics is when instead of national unity and democratic cooperation among Kurds, Kurdish politics operates under the pressure and threats of external powers,” asserted KCK.
The PKK is a banned political party in Turkey that is headquartered in the Qandil Mountains in Erbil province. It has fought an off-and-on sometimes armed conflict against the Turkish state seeking greater political, cultural, and minority rights.
“As long as Kurdish politics doesn’t end this weakness, it can neither make itself a force nor will it be able to fight against the obstructions put against it,” added KCK.
By uniting through depending on the Kurdish nation and democratic politics, the Kurds can resolve issues, argued KCK.
Turkey has effectively isolated Sulaimani by closing its airspace to any flights directly to or from Sulaymaniyah International Airport.
“Submitting to pressure of external forces, and in return pressure is put on other Kurdish parties, is first and foremost not patriotism,” claimed KCK.
The PUK needs to return to the path of the late party founder Jalal Talabani, wrote KCK, adding this submission to Turkish pressure won’t be the end. Talabani was known for his ability to negotiate with various Kurdish and non-Kurdish political actors.
“All the democratic political organizations, intellectuals and our Kurdistani nation will take a stance against this plot against the Tavgari Azadi,” added KCK.
A group of PKK supporters briefly took over the PUK’s office in Snune, north of Mount Shingal on Friday. They shut the office for two hours and took down the party’s flag, in protest of the closure of Tavgari Azadi’s offices in Sulaimani.
“The problem was later resolved through dialogue,” Dawd Jundee, deputy head of PUK headquarters in Shingal, told Rudaw.
Representatives of local parties in Shingal said the youths were not members of their associations.
“They are just troublemakers,” said Omar Salih, head of the Freedom and Democracy Party.
Multiple parties denounced the crackdown. Gorran (Change Movement), the third largest party in the Kurdistan Region’s parliament, called the decision more political than legal.
“No political party can be closed and be barred from political work and civil struggle outside of law and based on a political decision now or in the future,” its parliamentary faction stated on Thursday.
In the previous government Gorran led the opposition to the ruling PUK-KDP.
The regional pressure exerted on the Kurdistan Region should be taken into consideration, but it isn’t enough of a justification for closing the party “illegally,” added Gorran.
A delegation from Gorran’s parliamentary faction also visited the party, pledging to follow up on the application of Tavgari Azadi with the KRG’s Ministry of Interior.
The New Generation bloc in the Kurdistan parliament, a party allied with Tavgari Azadi, denounced the decision, arguing KDP had previously done the same.
“The New Generation faction in the Kurdistan Region’s parliament denounces all the efforts that constitute a real threat to the general freedoms and the imposition of authoritarian authority by the two ruling parties of the Kurdistan Region,” the party stated New Generation on Thursday.
Tara Hussein, spokesperson for the party, said that they can file a lawsuit in the Iraqi federal court, and Iraq’s electoral commission, but that they are trying to resolve it diplomatically through their friends and MPs.
Negotiations typically prevent intra-Kurdistani party disagreements from turning violent. Often loyalists to different parties live in the same areas without quarrel.
Turkey's consul general to Erbil welcomed the actions in Sulaimani on Thursday.
"Undoubtedly, the move made by the PUK is the right one," Hakan Karacay said, describing the party as a "terrorist organization."
Baghdad imposed an international flight ban on the Kurdistan Region’s airports following its independence referendum in September 2017. The Iraqi government lifted the ban in March this year.
Updated at 10:01 pm
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