The Immediate Release of all detainees from the Jails of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan - PUK

The PUK security forces (Asayesh) have launched a campaign to arrest and imprison many activists in Kurdistan. Tens of workers, lawyers, professionals, writers, journalists and other political activists were arrested in Sulaimaniyah, Kalaar, Kifri, Darbandikhaan, Chamchamaal, Rania, and other towns and villages following mass protests and demonstrations which have broken earlier in many cities and towns to protest the miserable living conditions, poverty, and the corruption prevailing in the civil administration. The security forces of the PUK have also been aggressively attacking the homes of many of the protesters in the middle of the night and hauling them to prisons.

During one of the latest mass protests, a young man by the name of Aryan Mahmood, was killed in Kalaar and many workers and toilers were injured, among them are 13 strikers in the Tasluja cement factory in Sulaimaniyah.

Our party strongly condemns the PUK and its ruling militias and protests their suppression and brutality toward the protesting masses who are protesting the failure of these nationalist militias to solve the hardship of living conditions and peoples’ demands for a better life.

We demand these militias to release all detainees from their captivity immediately. No party or force has any right to detain, attack, or imprison any political activist because of his or her political opinion and opposition.

We call upon all workers, socialists, and all humanitarian’s organizations and individuals to protest the oppressive campaign of the PUK against the people, and to demand the immediate release of all detainees from the prisons of the PUK.

Long live peoples’ struggles for Freedom and Equality!

Long Live the Unconditional Political Freedoms!

The Left Worker-communist Party of Iraq

14-8-2006