ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani has consistently maintained that all court cases in the Region proceed without “interference or pressure” and are handled through proper legal channels, in line with the principles of justice, the spokesperson for the Kurdistan Region Presidency said on Tuesday. Dilshad Shahab’s remarks come amid renewed attention to the case of jailed opposition figure Lahur Talabany.
Shahab stressed that President Barzani’s position has been clear from the outset that the judiciary must resolve the case “in due time and in accordance with established procedures.”
“We reiterate that the Presidency of the Kurdistan Region will always act as a protector of law and institutions and remains committed to respecting the principle of separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary,” he added.
Talabany, who is being detained alongside his brother Polad in the eastern Sulaimani province of the Kurdistan Region, said on Sunday that he and his brother have begun a hunger strike in protest against how their case is being handled.
“For eight months, we have been unjustly imprisoned in total disregard of all institutional and legal norms,” a statement published on Talabany’s Facebook account said. “Together with [my] brother Polad, we have decided to go on a hunger strike starting today until the rule of law is upheld in our case.”
A former co-president of the Bafel Talabani-led Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and current leader of the opposition People’s Front (Baray Gal), Talabany 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 the internal security forces (Asayish) and Counter-Terrorism Group (CTG) forces.
Authorities at the time accused him of involvement in plotting attacks, including an alleged plan to assassinate PUK President Bafel Talabani - claims his party has repeatedly denied. Court sources have previously indicated he could face charges such as premeditated murder and planning acts of sabotage.
Following the arrests, the Asayish in Sulaimani released what it described as confessions from several individuals who claimed they acted on Talabany’s orders to plan the assassination. Baray Gal also denied the accusations.
In his Sunday statement, Talabany further alleged that, despite waiting for due legal process, “it is evident that pressure” from his cousins - Bafel Talabani and his brother, the Kurdistan Region Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani - on courts and institutions has prevented the case from progressing, even to the Court of Cassation.
In August, senior Baray Gal member Shadman Mala Hassan also questioned the impartiality of the judiciary, claiming that courts “follow orders from leaders of political parties.”
Meanwhile, on Monday, a group of 11 detainees arrested during the August raid on the Lalezar Hotel in Sulaimani was released, including Muhsin Khoshnaw, head of Talabany’s personal guards.
Court records also show that 17 individuals were released on January 13, followed by four more on January 16, and seven others on February 3.