Kurdistan
Ousted PUK co-chair Lahur Talabany (left). Photo: Lahur Talabany's office. Suspects arrested by Sulaimani's Asayish on March 8, 2023 (right). Photo: Sulaimani province's Asayish directorate/Facebook
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Lahur Talabany, the ousted co-chair of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), on Wednesday claimed that his farmhouse in Sulaimani was unlawfully raided by “a group of outlaws,” sparking a response from the province’s local security forces (Asayish) saying the forces had legal permit to conduct the operation.
“This afternoon, a group of outlaws using an armed force and without a judge’s order or any excuse, raided the farmhouse of Mr. Lahur Sheikh Jangi [Talabany] in Sulaimani’s Kellaspi village, while that farmhouse has not been used for two years and there are no forces present inside it, only housing a number of people from the area that were working as houseworker and gardeners,” read a statement from Lahur Talabany’s office.
The statement said that they hold PUK leader Bafel Talabani and his brother Qubad Talabani responsible for the safety of the farmhouse’s workers, calling on the Kurdistan Region’s presidency, government, judiciary, diplomatic missions and the United Nations to take notice of the “dangerous act.”
Sulaimani’s Asayish said later in the day that their forces had seized a number of farmhouses and properties in Sulaimani that were being used for “illegal activities” and housing several “fugitives of the law,” without specifically naming the ousted PUK co-chair.
The statement from the Asayish said that the operations were conducted “after obtaining the approval of a specialized judge,” in which firearms silencers and illegal drugs were confiscated, in addition to arresting a number of “wanted” suspects.
The PUK was rocked by a power struggle in July 2021 as Bafel Talabani ousted Lahur Talabany. Bafel Talabani said the shakeup was to end abuse of party positions such as smuggling and extortion.
The cousins’ internal issues escalated when Bafel Talabani decided to change the heads of the PUK’s intelligence agency and counter-terrorism units, who were affiliated to Lahur Talabany, replacing them with people loyal to himself.
In February, Lahur Talabany said in a video statement that he was restored all his “political rights” by a court’s decision, adding that he would be reassuming his position as the co-chair of the PUK going forward.
“This afternoon, a group of outlaws using an armed force and without a judge’s order or any excuse, raided the farmhouse of Mr. Lahur Sheikh Jangi [Talabany] in Sulaimani’s Kellaspi village, while that farmhouse has not been used for two years and there are no forces present inside it, only housing a number of people from the area that were working as houseworker and gardeners,” read a statement from Lahur Talabany’s office.
The statement said that they hold PUK leader Bafel Talabani and his brother Qubad Talabani responsible for the safety of the farmhouse’s workers, calling on the Kurdistan Region’s presidency, government, judiciary, diplomatic missions and the United Nations to take notice of the “dangerous act.”
Sulaimani’s Asayish said later in the day that their forces had seized a number of farmhouses and properties in Sulaimani that were being used for “illegal activities” and housing several “fugitives of the law,” without specifically naming the ousted PUK co-chair.
The statement from the Asayish said that the operations were conducted “after obtaining the approval of a specialized judge,” in which firearms silencers and illegal drugs were confiscated, in addition to arresting a number of “wanted” suspects.
The PUK was rocked by a power struggle in July 2021 as Bafel Talabani ousted Lahur Talabany. Bafel Talabani said the shakeup was to end abuse of party positions such as smuggling and extortion.
The cousins’ internal issues escalated when Bafel Talabani decided to change the heads of the PUK’s intelligence agency and counter-terrorism units, who were affiliated to Lahur Talabany, replacing them with people loyal to himself.
In February, Lahur Talabany said in a video statement that he was restored all his “political rights” by a court’s decision, adding that he would be reassuming his position as the co-chair of the PUK going forward.
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