Sarko Sleman – Activists
After more than 33 years of joint rule by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), these two ruling families now exercise control over virtually every aspect of life in the Kurdistan Region.
To such an extent, a significant portion of the population no longer believes in the electoral process. While some people, due to a lack of political awareness or broader societal pressures, continue to vote for those in power, others cast their ballots in exchange for personal benefits—false promises of employment, project allocation, or the distribution of official positions. This is compounded by vote-buying and bribery. Meanwhile, electoral fraud and vote manipulation have become recurring features of every election cycle.
Currently, both the KDP and PUK have effectively neutralized the judiciary in the region. Courts have lost their independence and now serve as tools for persecuting critics. Anyone who dares to speak out risks fabricated charges and imprisonment. In recent years, we have seen this play out clearly: over 80 journalists, media workers, and civil society activists in the Bahdinan region (under KDP control) were arbitrarily arrested on false charges. Many remain imprisoned without fair trial or legal justification.
Today, the Kurdistan Region is facing multiple simultaneous crises. The regional parliament remains without an elected speaker and has held no meaningful session regarding the people’s worsening conditions. This occurs amidst continued salary delays, severe water and electricity shortages, and deteriorating public services. Citizens have now gone over 45 days without receiving their wages.
Freedom of expression and press freedom have significantly declined compared to earlier years. The assassination of journalists, arbitrary arrests, and politically motivated accusations have led to the complete silencing of dissenting voices.
Over the past 33 years, there has not been a single peaceful democratic transition of power in the Kurdistan Region. Instead, leadership is inherited—sons replacing fathers, maintaining regional rule under the facade of democracy while, in reality, practicing a monarchical and deeply authoritarian model of governance.
Today, public dissatisfaction across the Kurdistan Region is growing. Many who sought peaceful and civil means to express their opposition to the regime have been suppressed. Others, fearing for their lives, have chosen to flee the country, seeking asylum in Europe and North America.
