Iraqi Kurdistan's cities may honor Anti-KRG protest anniversary

Iraqi Kurdistan's cities may honor Anti-KRG protest anniversary

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Iraqi Kurdistan's cities may honor Anti-KRG protest anniversary 27.1.2012

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Since last February, till middle April 2011, thousands of protesters gathered daily in Sulaimaniyah and other parts of Kurdistan against corruption and the lording over Iraq's Kurdistan region by two main parties KDP and PUK. Kurdish protestors demand the ouster of the local Kurdistan government KRG and president Massoud Barzani, calling for improving services and living conditions and fighting corruption. Photo: Raman Gareb and Demotix.com See Related Links

People are seriously tired of the situation and reform must be done soon by the government. Mullah Kamaran, one of the figures in last year’s protests says.

January 27, 2012

SULAIMANIYAH, Kurdistan region 'Iraq', — The city of Sulaimaniyah [Slêmanî] is approaching the first anniversary of bloody anti-government protests that began in the wake of the Arab Spring and lasted for two months.

Nizar Muhammad, a member of the Protesters Council of Azadi Square which organized and spoke for the protesters, told Rudaw that the anniversary “will not pass quietly.”

Muhammad said people call him every day to inquire if he and his former colleagues have any plans for the anniversary.

“It is an occasion that we will be commemorated as the birthday of the voice of the streets,” he said.

“The authorities have done nothing yet so new protests are still a valid option for us,” he added. “All the promises by the government remained on paper only.”

The daily protests, which began on February 17, were put down by military and security forces that were deployed inside the city to quell the unrest. At least 10 people were killed during the two-month-long demonstrations.

Protesters had called for the authorities to curb Iraqi Kurdistan’s rampant corruption, provide better services and governance end the region’s decades-long two-party rule.

Nawzad Baban, a leader at the Kurdistan Communist Workers Party, was a protest organizer last year.

“As the Communist Workers Party we have decided to mark February 17, but we have not yet planned the activities,” Baban said.

High school and college students led the grassroots protests in Sulaimaniyah to express solidarity with the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions.

Muhammad believes that if any reform was achieved last year, it was triggered by the protests and not the government’s willingness to do so.

Muhammad said if the new government, which will be led by former Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, wants to avoid protests, it should “make the courts independent, turn in the shooters of the February protest,www.ekurd.net and implement the decisions by the Kurdish Parliament.”

Some activists have called for new protests on Facebook, but Mullah Kamaran, one of the figures in last year’s protests, believes it is unlikely that people will take to the streets again.

“There is still little hope that the next government might implement some reforms,” he said. “And the overall political situation of Iraq is in shambles.”

Kamaran added, “I don’t know yet whether the opposition will give the green light for new protests or not.”

However, Kamaran has prepared a speech in case protests resume next month or if the event is commemorated.

The Kurdish government accused the opposition groups last year of igniting the protests and hijacking it for party interests—an allegation denied by the opposition.

“The Change Movement (Gorran) and the Kurdistan Islamic Union still want the protests to resume but I do not know if they will publicly support it or not,” Kamaran said.

Kamaran, who was arrested by the security forces for his fiery speeches at the center of the protests in Azadi Square last year, believes that people may want to give the new cabinet a chance.

“Now people are waiting for the new government,” he said. “People are seriously tired of the situation and reform must be done soon by the government.”

Baban of the Communist Party agrees that political dialogue between the parties may keep people waiting for the time being.

“Last year people were ready to demonstrate but now they are waiting to see where the political dialogue will lead them,” he said.

Last week, Nawshirwan Mustafa, leader of the Change Movement, said in a speech that the government hasn’t fulfilled any of its promises.

“Almost one year after the February 17 protests in which protesters were suppressed by the security forces, there are still no serious indications for reforms from the ruling parties of the Kurdistan Region,” Mustafa said. “It is not possible to take people’s anger lightly.”

Shaho Saeed, a spokesperson for the Change Movement, said, “The political situation in Kurdistan needs reform, and because reforms are necessary all options are on the table.”

For his part, Salahaddin Babekir, an Islamic Union spokesman, said, “Whenever the protests begin, we will declare our stance by either supporting it or not. People and the opposition have become hopeless in waiting for reforms and the implementation of our reform proposals.”

Since February 2011, till middle April 2011, thousands of protesters gathered daily in Sulaimaniyah and other parts of Kurdistan against corruption and the lording over Kurdistan region by two main parties KDP and PUK. Kurdish protestors demand the ouster of the local Kurdistan government KRG, calling for improving services and living conditions and fighting corruption.

After 62 days of protests, the Governorate of of Sulaimaniyah has banned unlicensed demonstrations in the city. Heavy Kurdish forces deployed in Sulaimaniyah city to prevent any demonstrations, and occupied the city center and other parts of Sulaimaniyah. The Security Committee in Sulaimaniyah banned on April 18 all sorts of protests.

Most of the demonstrators opposed Massoud Barzani, and the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party KDP. Ten people were killed and more than 700 others wounded and 220 more have been arrested in clashes between demonstrators and Kurdish security forces during a wave or protests that swept Sulaimaniyah. The Kurdish security forces (Asayish) arrested and tortured a lot of activists and journalists.

The protesters demand the Kurdish government and parliament resign to give way for “early transparent elections”. They complain about “monopolizing the economic and political authority,” by the two major parties of Kurdistan. Many observe allegiance to either of the two ruling patties a must to get employed and hence were deprived of the right. Kurdistan suffers from electric power deficiency but after almost 20 years of semi autonomy.

For decades, the KDP of regional president Massoud Barzani and the PUK of Iraq's President Jalal Talabani have lorded over the region.

Massoud Barzani and his relatives control a large number of commercial enterprises in Kurdistan-Iraq, with a gross value of several billion US dollars. The family is routinely accused of corruption and nepotism by Kurdish media as well as international observers.

Iraq's Kurdish regional government has near total autonomy and is funded by a share of the country's oil revenue. The two parties that share power each command former guerrilla militias that have been given the status of regional security forces.

Copyright © 2012, respective author or news agency, rudaw.net | ekurd.net

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