ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A lawyer for Lahur Talabany told Rudaw on Wednesday that media reports claiming the jailed Kurdish opposition figure and his brother Polad had ended the hunger strike, which they began days earlier in protest of what they say is mishandling of their case, are incorrect.
Claims that Talabany and his brother had suspended their hunger strike “are rumors spread by certain social media pages and shadowy political party outlets,” said Dana Taqiyadin, a member of Talabany’s legal team, affirming that the duo “have not ended the hunger strike at all”
Taqiyadin added that “the only reliable source of information about Talabany is his family, who regularly visit him.” The member of the Kurdish opposition figure’s legal team further noted that “at present, we as his lawyers are not allowed to visit him,” and that the relevant authorities in the Kurdistan Region’s eastern Sulaimani province “do not permit us to see him.”
Talabany’s case returned to the headlines in recent days after he announced on Sunday that he and his brother Polad had begun a hunger strike in protest of how their case was 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.”
Amid the dispute, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Tuesday emphasized that all court cases in the Region must proceed without “interference or pressure” and be handled through proper legal channels, in line with the principles of justice.
Dilshad Shahab, spokesperson for the presidency, further underlined that President Barzani’s position has been clear from the outset: the judiciary must resolve the case “in due time and in accordance with established procedures.”
A former co-president of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), led by Bafel Talabani, and the current leader of the opposition People’s Front (Baray Gal), Lahur 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.
Of note, a member of Lahur Talabany's legal team told Rudaw on Wednesday evening that the Kurdish opposition figure and his brother Polad have "ended the hunger strike."
Updated at 8:55pm