SULIAMANI, Kurdistan Region — At least 80 New Generation Movement members including two of the party’s High Council members have been detained by Asayesh (Security) in Sulaimani outside of a courthouse, NRT has reported. It later added that the court ruled for Abdulwahid to be released on bail on Monday.
New Generation leader Shaswar Abdulwahid appeared in court in Sulaimani on Sunday after being summoned on alleged charges of defamation and insulting a state employee. Abdulwahid was arrested after he testified to a court, according to NRT.
The heads of New Generation’s communications media offices, Aram Saeed and Rebwar Abdulrahman, resepectively, were among those detained.
New Generation has blamed the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) for the "politically motivated arrest warrant."
A court spokesperson told Rudaw that Abdulwahid was detained on charges of violation Iraqi Penal Code Article 229 that deals with assault on state employees while on duty and Article 434 that concerns defamation.
"There is no doubt that the courts in Kurdistan Region are under tremendous political pressure and the ruling parties are exploiting judicial system for political purpose," read a statement from New Generation released on Sunday.
After his release, Abdulwahid said the KDP and PUK have all the sources of power in their hands including security forces, weaponry, and intelligence, but “they do not have the courage” to stand against the wills of the people of Kurdistan.
“We will continue our path,” Abdulwahid said.
“We are supporting freedom in any corner of this country. We have to stand against the [KRG] authorities,” he said. “We are supporting the oppressed.”
He said 100 New Generation members have been arrested by security forces for protesting his arrest.
In a press conference after his release, Abdulwahid said: “People who support and believe in the cause we defend, my colleagues and I expect even the worse, not only imprisonment, detention or humiliation. We even expect death.”
“We believe no nation can achieve its rights and be prosperous without making sacrifices. Thousands of people like me should die, people should sacrifice, and people should believe in themselves and have strong will. What happened yesterday is just the beginning. What lies ahead is much more than this,” he said.
“We need the support of people in order to be successful, to turn our country into a prosperous country that has institutions and respects its citizens, a country where people can have good living conditions.
“Some irresponsible people who know nothing about the establishment have ruined this country. These people should go, and we need the support of the people in order for these people to go. Peoples’ support for us is very meaningful and makes us continue,” Abdulwahid said.
“This [my detention] makes us more determined. This explains how terrified and scared the authorities have become.”
“I think no regime in the world can govern forever and no regime can oppress its nation forever. Every pain and agony will end and these regimes will end at the hands of their own people,” he added.
On Sunday, Abdulwahid was held at Salam Base’s prison in Sulaimani initially for 24 hours.
"We strongly condemn undermining rule of law and politicizing the legal cases against rival opposition parties. Thus, we demand federal judicial institutions to intervene immediately and guarantee Mr. Abdulwahid’s freedom," added the New Generation statement.
Abdulwahid is scheduled to speak at an event organized by the Centre for Kurdish Progress at the Wilson Room at the British parliament on Tuesday. It is not clear whether his bail conditions will allow him to leave the country.
Abdulwahid founded Nalia Media Group that owns NRT. After forming New Generation in 2018 prior to the Iraqi parliamentary election, he said he no longer runs the media organization.
New Generation is an upstart political party in the Kurdistan Region and in Iraq. It won eight seats in the Kurdistan Region's parliamentary election on September 30 in the 111-seat legislature.
Update: 4:10 p.m.
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