Iraq: Security Forces Shut Down Organizations Linked to PKK in Sulaymaniyah

Kurdish employees take part in vote counting, during parliamentary elections in the semi-autonomous region in Erbil, Iraq September 30, 2018. (Reuters)
Kurdish employees take part in vote counting, during parliamentary elections in the semi-autonomous region in Erbil, Iraq September 30, 2018. (Reuters)
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Iraq: Security Forces Shut Down Organizations Linked to PKK in Sulaymaniyah

Kurdish employees take part in vote counting, during parliamentary elections in the semi-autonomous region in Erbil, Iraq September 30, 2018. (Reuters)
Kurdish employees take part in vote counting, during parliamentary elections in the semi-autonomous region in Erbil, Iraq September 30, 2018. (Reuters)

Kurdish security forces “Asayish” began shutting down several headquarters and offices of political parties and civil organizations linked to Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), banned in Turkey.

On October 29, deputy prime minister of Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Qubad Talabani, issued an order to close the offices and headquarters of all parties and organizations without a formal license issued by the KRG.

The resolution, however, is only limited to parties and civil organizations ideologically associated with the PKK, such as Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) and its civil women's organization. The Workers' Party is known for adopting the principles of imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan.

However, several parties recently established in the Region continue to perform their activities normally, even though they have not obtained their official authorizations yet.

Commander at PAK, Hussein Karkuki, described the Kurdish authorities' decision as political and lacking any legal basis, given that his party has been officially licensed by the federal authorities in Baghdad since 2018 to exercise their political work throughout Iraq.

Karkuki told Asharq Al-Awsat that the party had been asking the KRG to issue them an official permit to carry out their activities, but the authorities ignored their request.

According to the Law, the Ministry of Interior has to either refuse or approve such request within 45 days, otherwise the party is considered officially licensed.

“So our party is legally licensed and we will not leave our headquarters and will not close it,” asserted Karkuki.

He explained that the security authorities of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the ruling party in Sulaymaniyah, had asked his party to comply with the decision to avoid any “embarrassment” with the Turkish authorities.

PUK is under direct pressure from Turkey to ban the activities of parties and organizations loyal or linked to the PKK in Sulaymaniyah. In turn, Turkish authorities will normalize its relations with the Patriotic Union, and lift the air embargo imposed on Sulaymaniyah International Airport.

"Even if we close our headquarters in Sulaymaniyah, we will continue our political activities in other forums and communities," Karkuki confirmed.

Political parties had emerged in the region mid-last year and have not received official authorization. For instance, Coalition for Democracy and Justice party was founded by Iraqi President Barham Salih last spring, however, it is not authorized yet.

Few weeks ago, the party changed its name to Patriotic Alliance after Salih resigned from the party and joined the PUK.

Member of New Generation Movement, Aram Saeed, said that his party, which did not get official authorization yet, won four seats in the Iraqi parliament and eight in the Region's parliament during the elections that took place on September 30. He considered having members in both parliaments is in itself "an authorization to perform political work."

Saeed told Asharq Al-Awsat, “Our movement is engaged in political activity without any hindrances, and no security authority ordered us to close our headquarters,” adding that they will act accordingly if they were ordered to shut down.



UN: Nearly 70% of Verified Gaza War Dead Are Women and Children

FILE PHOTO: Palestinians react after a school sheltering displaced people was hit by an Israeli strike, at Beach camp in Gaza City November 7, 2024. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Palestinians react after a school sheltering displaced people was hit by an Israeli strike, at Beach camp in Gaza City November 7, 2024. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa/File Photo
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UN: Nearly 70% of Verified Gaza War Dead Are Women and Children

FILE PHOTO: Palestinians react after a school sheltering displaced people was hit by an Israeli strike, at Beach camp in Gaza City November 7, 2024. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Palestinians react after a school sheltering displaced people was hit by an Israeli strike, at Beach camp in Gaza City November 7, 2024. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa/File Photo

The UN Human Rights Office said on Friday nearly 70% of the fatalities it has verified in the Gaza war were women and children, and condemned what it called a systematic violation of the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law.
The UN tally since the start of the war, in which Israel's military is fighting Hamas militants, includes only fatalities it has managed to verify with three sources, and counting continues.

The 8,119 victims verified is a much lower number than the toll of over 43,000 provided by Palestinian health authorities for the 13-month-old war. But the UN breakdown of the victims' age and gender backs the Palestinian assertion that women and children represent a large portion of those killed in the war.

This finding indicates "a systematic violation of the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law, including distinction and proportionality," the UN rights office said in a statement accompanying the 32-page report.

"It is essential that there is due reckoning with respect to the allegations of serious violations of international law through credible and impartial judicial bodies and that, in the meantime, all relevant information and evidence are collected and preserved," United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not immediately respond to a request by Reuters for comment on the report's findings.

"Our monitoring indicates that this unprecedented level of killing and injury of civilians is a direct consequence of the failure to comply with fundamental principles of international humanitarian law," Turk said in a statement.

"Tragically, these documented patterns of violations continue unabated, over one year after the start of the war."

His office found that about 80 percent of all the verified deaths in Gaza had occurred in Israeli attacks on residential buildings or similar housing, and that close to 90 percent had died in incidents that killed five or more people.