Kurdistan’s Weekly Brief | May 28, 2024

A weekly brief of events occurred in the Kurdistan regions of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey.

Iran 

• The Iranian regime arrested several people, including family members of deceased protesters, for expressing joy over the death of the Iranian president on social media. Among the detainees were two Kurdish men in Bokan and Quchan. In a different incident, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) killed a young Kurdish civilian in Marivan named Azhwan Kiani. According to the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, IRGC members suspected the victim of carrying contraband and opened fire on his vehicle. Meanwhile, authorities arrested at least thirteen Kurds from Marivan and Piranshahr, as well as five journalists in Shinno, for participating in the Newroz celebration in March. This coincided with the regime’s courts issuing several prison sentences in the Kurdish region, including 21 years for prominent female Kurdish journalist Zhina Gorji in Senna; six years for the father of a deceased protester in Karaj; five years for a Kurdish man in Bokan; and two years for a Kurdish journalist in Kermanshah. Additionally, at least five people were injured by mines, remnants of the Iraq-Iran war, in four different areas.

Iraq 

• On May 20, the Judicial Authority for Elections in Iraq granted five out of one hundred seats as a quota for minorities in the Kurdistan region. Both Erbil and Sulaymaniyah provinces will receive two seats each, while Duhok will receive one. The court’s decision came after the supreme court annulled the previous allocation of eleven seats for the quota, reducing Kurdistan’s representation to 100 seats. Several Christian and Turkmen political figures are dissatisfied with the final count for the quota seats, demanding larger representation and fair distribution among Kurdistan’s provinces. With this ruling, the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) will resume its work after a pause amid uncertainty regarding the election date, initially set for June 10 of this year. An IHEC official told Rudaw that due to the court’s decision, they will reopen party registrations. In March, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) decided to boycott the elections in protest of the supreme court’s cancellation of the quota seats.
• The Ministry of Finance and Economy in Kurdistan announced that it has returned 50% of the non-oil domestic income from February to the federal government. This action comes amid a fragile agreement between Baghdad and Erbil to ensure timely payment of salaries to public employees in Kurdistan. On Monday, Iraq’s prime minister called for an “expedited” nationalization of the salary system for Kurdish employees. However, the federal government seeks to release salaries through banks associated with Baghdad, while Erbil operates its own electronic payment system called “my account.” Kurdish employees continue to face challenges in receiving their April payments, an ongoing struggle since 2014. 
• Qatar’s Secretary General of Foreign Affairs, Ahmad Hassen Al-Hammadi, visited the Kurdistan region and participated in the inauguration ceremony of the new consulate-general building in Erbil. The ceremony was attended by top Kurdish officials, who emphasized that the opening of the consulate marks a significant step in furthering the relationship with Qatar. Currently, the Kurdistan Region hosts 39 foreign consulates, representations, and envoys.
• With the gas line from Khor Mor now connected to the Kirkuk Gas Company, the Iraqi government aims to sign a contract with Dana Gas, the operator of the field. However, the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Kurdistan Region has pointed out that Dana Gas already has an existing contract to supply gas for electricity in Kurdistan. A disagreement persists between Baghdad and Erbil over the production of the gas field, as it is located within Kurdistan’s territories. The area has also suffered several attacks by Iranian-backed Iraqi militias in the past.

Syria 

• In preparation for a local election on June 11, the Autonomous Administration for North and East Syria (AANES) sponsored a forum that was attended by dozens  of Arab tribal leaders in al Hasakah. The concluding statement of the forum called for “wide participation” in the elections. The tribal leaders also sought a solution for the Syrian crisis and reached several agreements, including the initiation of dialogues among Syrians and condemnation of violence, terrorism, and occupation. This forum marks the second of its kind. Meanwhile, the High Electoral Commission reported that 5,336 candidates have registered for the elections. On Tuesday, the European Union (EU) and the US announced billions of dollars in funds for Syrians inside the country and those displaced in Iraq, Turkey, and Lebanon. The grants were announced during the 8th Brussels Conference on “Supporting the future of Syria and the region.”
• Turkish-backed factions have escalated tensions with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) near Manbij, resulting in the death of a woman and the injury of four civilians, including two children. The recent escalation and bombardment follow several attacks by Turkish-backed groups on Aleppo’s countryside, specifically al Shahbaa. This comes as the SDF announced the capture of three ISIS (Da’esh) terrorists in Raqqa and Qamishli, in raids supported by the US-led global coalition. The terrorist group has notably increased attacks in the region, mainly in the Syrian Desert (Badia), including a report of killing three IRGC members last week.

Turkey 

• The ramifications of the lengthy prison sentences imposed by the Turkish government against pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) politicians continue. The Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (Dem Party) demanded an inquiry from Turkey’s Grand National Assembly to investigate the “unlawful practices” by the court in the ‘Kobani Case.’ In a detailed argument, the Dem Party addressed the procedural steps taken by the court during the investigations and described them as a “violation of procedure.” The Dem Party criticized irregularities during witness hearings, evidence collection, and trial proceedings. The Ankara court sentenced 15 politicians, mainly Kurds, to a total of 407 years in prison, including 42 years for Selahattin Demirtas and 30 years for Figen Yüksekdağ. Moreover, a new indictment by the prosecutor targets five former HDP lawmakers, including the Armenian representative Garo Paylan. The prosecutor is seeking aggravated life imprisonment for these former lawmakers. Meanwhile, the Turkish government continues its crackdown on other members of pro-Kurdish parties, including the arrest of a former Kurdish mayor in Mus and five Kurds in Urfa.