Dyako Adnan Abdulkhaliq – Activists
The political reality in the Kurdistan Region today is marked by a profound distortion of values, where acts of betrayal are worn as badges of honor, enemies are rebranded as allies, patriots are vilified, the unqualified and corrupt are elevated to leadership, and truth is systematically replaced with falsehood while lies are accepted as truth. This inversion reflects the longstanding nature of governance under both the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), whose historical record is deeply intertwined with the commodification of Kurdish identity and aspirations. The KDP, from Mullah Mustafa Barzani to Masoud Barzani, has presided over a legacy rife with political betrayal, internal conflict, and servitude to foreign powers—ranging from the abandonment of the Republic of Mahabad to the ceding of over 51% of Kurdistan’s territory to Turkish military dominance. Similarly, the PUK has increasingly functioned as a proxy of Iranian influence, positioning itself as a subordinate partner to the KDP while operating armed militias complicit in repression and extrajudicial violence. These two tribal-family-based political entities, lacking democratic legitimacy or educational foundations, have entrenched a system that denies citizens the most basic rights, including salaries, essential services, and infrastructure for urban and rural areas alike. Rather than serving the nation, they are consumed with preserving power and wealth, using suppression to silence dissent—as evidenced by the imprisonment of journalists, teachers, and activists. In this context, resistance to authoritarianism is not merely justified but necessary. We must stand firmly and declare our collective right to justice, dignity, and genuine democratic governance.
