ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Lahur Talabany, an opposition leader jailed in Sulaimani, announced on Sunday that he and his brother have launched a hunger strike in protest over the handling of their case.
“For eight months, we have been unjustly imprisoned in total disregard of all institutional and legal norms,” read a statement published on Talabany's Facebook account, adding that "together with Kak Polad, we have decided to go on a hunger strike starting today until the rule of law is upheld in our case.”
A source from the People’s Front (Baray Gal) party confirmed to Rudaw that the message “was sent by Lahur Talabany himself and was subsequently published.”
Lahur Talabany, a former co-president of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and current leader of the opposition People’s Front, has been in detention since late August following a standoff with security forces in Sulaimani. He was arrested alongside his brother and several associates after a raid on the Lalezar Hotel by security units including Asayish and Counter-Terrorism (CTG) forces.
Authorities at the time accused him of involvement in plotting attacks, including an alleged plan to assassinate Bafel Talabani, president of the PUK – claims his party has repeatedly denied. Court sources previously indicated he could face charges such as “premeditated murder” and “planning acts of sabotage.”
Following the arrests, the Kurdistan Region Security Agency (Asayish) in Sulaimani released what it described as confessions from several individuals who said they had acted on Talabany’s orders to plan the assassination of Bafel Talabani.