Kuzhein Bahadin Mahmood -Activist
It is often the case that we hear officials from Prime Minister Masrour Barzani’s administration—whose political expiry date has long passed—boastfully claiming that Europe envies the Kurdistan Region’s democratic system and wishes to learn from us how we have achieved such “accomplishments.”
Yet, the events of just the past ten days have demonstrated that democracy, as practiced by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), is like a rubber band—stretched, twisted, and reshaped at will—always for the benefit of the ruling elite rather than the people. Anyone attempting to hold them accountable is swiftly silenced under the pretext of safeguarding “Kurdistan’s unique democracy,” which in reality serves only the interests of those in power.
At the start of this ten-day period, Sherwan Sherwani, repeatedly targeted due to the personal animosity of Masrour Barzani, was once again sentenced under fabricated charges. Neither the judiciary’s impartiality nor the fairness of the proceedings could be trusted. Even the solemn Quranic injunction engraved above the courtroom—“When you judge between people, judge with justice”—was rendered meaningless as the verdict deprived Sherwani’s children of their father for several more years.
Meanwhile, figures such as Shaswar Abdulwahid, with his long political career, were detained under the pretext of resurrecting an old 2019 file, purely because they threatened the power monopoly. The public witnessed yet another spectacle of selective justice, while corruption and political loyalty dictated who would be punished and who would remain untouchable.
Similarly, Lahur Sheikh Jangi has for four years been accused by his own party, the PUK, of conspiracies, attempted coups, and even treason—yet no genuine legal resolution has ever been reached. When the PUK mobilized heavy weaponry, drones, and snipers in Sulaymaniyah against Lahur, the public realized these parties, regardless of size, possess no real “civilian authority.” They are military factions first and foremost, masquerading under the guise of governance.
Most strikingly, all forces mobilized against Lahur were technically part of the official security apparatus of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Yet, a single order from a party leader overrode the government itself, demonstrating that real authority lies not in institutions but in personal power networks. According to the law, the Commander-in-Chief of all armed forces in the Region should be the President of the KRG—currently Nechirvan Barzani. But his role has been reduced to ceremonial symbolism, while real power resides elsewhere.
As usual, after each crisis, Masrour Barzani distances himself, issuing lukewarm statements claiming ignorance of events that unfold under his own authority—an excuse as expired as his government’s legitimacy.
These incidents recall a familiar pattern: fratricidal conflicts, betrayals, and the use of military force against political rivals—echoing the tragic events of August 31, 1996, when the KDP invited Saddam Hussein’s army into Erbil to defeat the PUK. The recent mobilization of tanks and heavy weaponry on August 22, 2025, occurring just nine days before that dark anniversary, suggests history may indeed be repeating itself.
We must demand an end to this hollow version of “democracy” in Kurdistan—a democracy that delivers neither justice nor freedom but instead perpetuates the dominance of political dynasties at the expense of the people.
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