The Kurdistan Society's Freedom Movement (Tavgari Azadi) denied on Tuesday any affiliation with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), calling Baghdad’s decision to dissolve the group for alleged PKK ties a political maneuver.
The Iraqi judiciary’s electoral authority recently ruled to dissolve and shut down the offices of three parties - Tavgari Azadi, the Yazidi Freedom and Democracy Party, The Democratic Struggle Front - citing their alleged connection with the PKK, a Kurdish armed group banned in Iraq earlier this year.
Tara Hussein, co-chair of Tavgari Azadi, told reporters at a press conference in Sulaimani on Tuesday that the decision is “illegal” and reiterated that the party is not tied to the PKK.
“We were not informed in advance that there was a case against our party, which deprived us of the opportunity to defend ourselves,” she said. “Neither the Kurdistan Workers’ Party nor any other party directs us. We are completely independent.”
Hussein claimed that the court was presented with “false information,” adding that there may be a “foreign hand” involved in the issue. “If possible, we would like the ruling to be reconsidered.”
The court’s decision came in response to a request from the party and political organization affairs directorate at the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC). The request sought the dissolution of the Yazidi Freedom and Democracy Party, The Democratic Struggle Front, and Tavgari Azadi due to their alleged links with the PKK and “conducting banned activities in Iraq.”
On Thursday, the court ruled to dissolve the parties, shut down their offices, and confiscate their finances, according to a document from the Supreme Judicial Council seen by Rudaw English on Monday.
The PKK has maintained bases in the mountainous border areas of northern Iraq and the Kurdistan Region for decades, prompting hundreds of strikes by Ankara on alleged PKK positions over the years.
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