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Iraq: Kurds call for more Kurdistani
Government accountability
9.8.2006
By Kathleen Ridolfo |
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PRAGUE, August 9,
2006 (RFE/RL) -- Demonstrations have broken out
across Iraq's Kurdish region in recent days as
residents protested what they claimed is rampant
corruption and a lack of services provided by the
newly formed government of the Kurdistan autonomous
region.
Until recently, Kurdish towns and cities were not
affected by the endemic fuel and electricity
shortages that have plagued much of the rest of Iraq
since the fall of the Hussein regime in 2003. That
changed several months ago, prompting Kurds to begin
staging organized demonstrations demanding
government action.
Many Kurds have been quick to blame what they see as
the indifference of the ruling parties, the
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan
Democratic Party (KDP), saying those in power are
unaffected by the shortages because of their wealth
and connections.
Dividing Up Power
While demonstrators have attempted to hold the
government accountable, some say there is little
that can be done to effect change. As the two main
ruling parties, the KDP and PUK solidified their
hold on power during their 12 years of self-rule
before the fall of the Hussein regime. In the
post-Hussein era, officials tied to the parties have
grown wealthier and in some cases, more flagrant in
their abuse of power, critics charge.
Democracy in the Kurdish north, once touted as the
model to be emulated, suffered a setback in January
2005 when the KDP and PUK divided up parliament
seats ahead of the local parliamentary elections.
The continued widespread perception among the public
that officials care less about their needs and more
about lining their own pockets with lucrative
business deals and other profitable endeavors has
only exacerbated the divide between the people and
their representatives.
Moreover, it has fueled a growing perception that
only those with close ties to the ruling parties
will reap the benefits of a decent education or
career advancement based on credentials, rather than
connections. Such frustration, observers argue,
could lead to a massive brain drain from the region.
As kurdishmedia.com reported on August 3, waves of
young, educated Kurds have begun leaving the region
for the West. The disillusionment of the youth, the
website noted, has led them to believe that positive
changes will not come their way.
Spreading Demonstrations
The latest demonstrations began on August 5 in Kifri,
southwest of Sulaymaniyah, and led to the arrest of
20 demonstrators. According to the Peyamner news
agency, police began arresting the organizers of the
demonstration after footage from the protest was
broadcast on local television channels.
Demonstrators later staged a second demonstration
outside the local administrative office to demand
the release of their cohorts.
Other demonstrations then spread over the next two
days to Chamchamal, Darbandikhan, and Shorish (Sulaymaniyah).
The Kurdish news agency Sot Kurdistan (Voice of
Kurdistan) reported on August 7 that more
demonstrations were being planned for Aqrah,
Halabjah, Erbil, Kalar, Soran, and Sulaymaniyah.
More than 2,000 protesters took part in the August 7
demonstration in Darbandikhan, Peyamner reported.
According to the news agency, Kurdish police and
security forces confiscated the camera of a
journalist working for Zagros TV. "Only [PUK-owned]
KurdSat TV and Aindah TV of [the] Garmiyan area were
allowed to film," Peyamner reported.
The news agency also reported that independent
journalist Amjad As'ad was arrested after he was
caught filming the demonstration on his mobile
phone. "Hawlati" reported that two of its
journalists were also arrested.
Kurdistan Satellite Television, which is operated by
the KDP, reported that journalists' cameras were
confiscated.
According to "Awene," more than 50 demonstrators
were arrested, and 11 injured, one critically.
Journalists Fight for Greater Freedoms
Kurdish journalists have accused the government of
using a corrupt judicial system to "terrorize
writers," as one journalist described it, after a
series of arrests and trials earlier this year. "If
we look at the court cases against writers and
journalists in recent weeks and months, we see that
none of the verdicts has been in favor of a
journalist or writer. On the contrary, in all the
cases, the officials have been the heroes.... This
is a new trend in the officials' fights against
writers and the continuation of the
police...preventing people from holding pens,"
Sarwat Ali wrote in the May 30 edition of "Awene."
Kurdish intellectual Kamal Sayyid Qadir was jailed
by the KDP last year for Internet articles he wrote
criticizing Kurdish region President Mas'ud
Barzani's administration. He was sentenced in
December to 30 years in prison for "defamation of
the Kurdish leadership." That sentence was thrown
out and Qadir was sentenced at a new trial in March
to 18 months in prison. One week later, regional
Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani pardoned Qadir.
Whether Qadir would have received a retrial, let
alone a pardon, had there not been intense publicity
surrounding his case is difficult to say.
At the local level, independent newspapers such as
"Hawlati" have gone to great lengths to criticize
the ruling parties in recent months, though not
without repercussions. Two of the newspaper's
editors were put on trial earlier this year on
charges of defaming PUK leader Umar Fattah. The two
men received suspended six-month prison terms. As in
Qadir's case, the sentences would likely have been
much harsher had there not been an intense
international media campaign in their support.
Despite the crackdown on journalists in recent
months, a number of independent newspapers and
Kurdish websites have continued to highlight the
restrictions placed on the media. Kurdish websites
based abroad have proven invaluable to the campaign
for greater press freedoms.
Growing Public Dissatisfaction
Recent examples of editorials marking the pages of
Iraqi newspapers include a July 26 editorial
published in "Hawlati," which pleaded with the
region's ministers to "just once" try working as a
traffic policeman, whose commands go ignored by
officials in new cars who hurl trash at the
officers; or teach in a sweltering classroom where
there are no supplies or electricity. Try giving a
lecture "on the sixth floor of a building without
lifts or power. After that, make some notes about
the resilient teachers and their salaries," the
author wrote, referring to recent demands by
academic and medical unions for salary increases.
Local media have also been quick to criticize the
government for regularly claiming that
demonstrations are carried out by "foreigners" or
"saboteurs and rioters," rather than admit that
public dissatisfaction is running deep these days.
One example of this was the two parties' reactions
to demonstrations that erupted in Halabjah this
spring, which they blamed on foreigners. Dozens of
protesters and members of the media were arrested.
In an editorial published in "Hawlati" on August 2,
the newspaper claimed the Kurdish regional
government, "from the day it began working, did not
fulfill" its duty to provide for the people's basic
needs. "There are lots of cars, but very bad roads.
There are lots of electricity poles, towers, and
cables, but no electricity. There is fertile land,
but agriculture is destroyed."
Though public criticism has been met with stiff
reaction from the government, Kurds continue to push
for their rights and freedoms. The government's
realization that it will be held accountable for its
actions, or inactions, by a vibrant Kurdish press
has led it to reconsider its response to public
criticism.
For his part, Kurdish Deputy Prime Minister Umar
Fattah met with demonstrators from Shorish and
Chamchamal on August 8 to discuss their grievances,
the PUK's website announced the same day. Fattah
vowed to look into their demands and said steps
would be taken to improve basic services. At least
for now, it appears that demonstrators' hopes for a
more democratic Kurdistan may still be within reach.
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