Kurdish opposition leader Lahur Talabany set to face trial on Monday: Source
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The leader of the Kurdish opposition party People’s Front (Baray Gal) is set to appear in court in the Kurdistan Region’s eastern Sulaimani province on Monday, a well-placed source told Rudaw, adding that Lahur Talabany is expected to stand trial over previous charges, including “premeditated murder” and “plotting acts of sabotage,” allegations he has denied.
The source from the Sulaimani court elaborated that “the trial has been scheduled for 10:00 am [local time] on Monday,” adding that “the judge will determine the relevant legal articles” under which Talabany will be tried.
“The charges against him [Talabany] are the same as those for which he was initially arrested - namely, premeditated murder and planning acts of sabotage,” the source added.
Lahur Talabany, a former co-president of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), for which Sulaimani is a power base, was arrested in late August following a violent standoff between his armed loyalists and local security personnel.
Sulaimani security forces (Asayish) later released what they described as confessions from a group allegedly linked to Lahur Talabany, detailing a plot to assassinate PUK leader Bafel Talabani. The jailed opposition figure’s party, Baray Gal, has denied the accusations.
The same Sulaimani court source told Rudaw that the presiding judge, during Monday’s session, is expected to “issue a decisive ruling on whether he will be tried under those two charges or whether the legal articles brought against him will be amended.”
In late August, a senior Baray Gal member, Shadman Mala Hassan, told Rudaw that the party wants its leader’s case to be heard by a court in Baghdad, citing doubts over the impartiality of courts in the Kurdistan Region.
“The courts follow orders from leaders of political parties,” he said, alleging that the courts “issued the warrant and moved forces to arrest him [Lahur Talabany] on the same day, so how can we trust the court process?”
Addressing reports that Lahur Talabany’s case could be transferred to a court in Erbil or another city, the Sulaimani court source dismissed the claims, saying there was “no such intention,” and that it would not happen because the complaint was registered in Sulaimani and there is “no legal justification for transferring the case.”
The source from the Sulaimani court elaborated that “the trial has been scheduled for 10:00 am [local time] on Monday,” adding that “the judge will determine the relevant legal articles” under which Talabany will be tried.
“The charges against him [Talabany] are the same as those for which he was initially arrested - namely, premeditated murder and planning acts of sabotage,” the source added.
Lahur Talabany, a former co-president of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), for which Sulaimani is a power base, was arrested in late August following a violent standoff between his armed loyalists and local security personnel.
Sulaimani security forces (Asayish) later released what they described as confessions from a group allegedly linked to Lahur Talabany, detailing a plot to assassinate PUK leader Bafel Talabani. The jailed opposition figure’s party, Baray Gal, has denied the accusations.
The same Sulaimani court source told Rudaw that the presiding judge, during Monday’s session, is expected to “issue a decisive ruling on whether he will be tried under those two charges or whether the legal articles brought against him will be amended.”
In late August, a senior Baray Gal member, Shadman Mala Hassan, told Rudaw that the party wants its leader’s case to be heard by a court in Baghdad, citing doubts over the impartiality of courts in the Kurdistan Region.
“The courts follow orders from leaders of political parties,” he said, alleging that the courts “issued the warrant and moved forces to arrest him [Lahur Talabany] on the same day, so how can we trust the court process?”
Addressing reports that Lahur Talabany’s case could be transferred to a court in Erbil or another city, the Sulaimani court source dismissed the claims, saying there was “no such intention,” and that it would not happen because the complaint was registered in Sulaimani and there is “no legal justification for transferring the case.”