Human Rights Commission Confirms Health and Legal Rights of Detainees in Sulaymaniyah

Peregraf  

A high-level delegation from the Independent Human Rights Commission of Kurdistan Region (IHRCKR), led by Commission head Muna Yako, visited Lahur Sheikh Jangi, Polad Sheikh Jangi and Lalezar prisoners at notorious Kani Goma Prison and in Sulaymaniyah, confirming that “all prisoners are in good health.” 

In a statement issued on Sunday, the IHRCKR said the team examined the health conditions and accommodations of detainees, noting that “in general, all prisoners are in good health and their relatives are able to visit them.”

Legal Rights and Access to Lawyers

The IHRCKR stressed that legal rights were being upheld, stating: “Those who requested lawyers have been provided with them, and those who did not ask voluntarily refused and were allowed to call their relatives.” 

The statement confirmed that detainees arrested in connection with the Lalezar incidents, previously held by the Counter-Terrorism Group (CTG), have since been transferred to Kani Goma Security Prison, where more than 200 inmates are now being held. 

“The prisoners are demanding that their cases be resolved through the courts within a specified time,” the IHRCKR added, pledging to continue monitoring conditions and to “support the early resolution of these cases within the framework of legal procedures and human rights principles.”

The Lalezar Incident

The Commission’s visit comes four days after deadly clashes in Sulaymaniyah on August 22, when PUK-led security forces attempted to execute an arrest warrant against Jangi at the Lalezar Hotel, his residence and headquarters. Units of the Asayish, CTG, and Commando forces surrounded the building before dawn under warrants issued pursuant to Article 56 of Iraq’s Penal Code, which covers conspiracies against state security. 

Fighting broke out after Jangi’s loyalists, known as the Scorpion Force, resisted. Intense gun battles and explosions shook central Sulaymaniyah for more than three hours, leaving five people dead, dozens wounded, and more than 100 detained. Nearby residential areas also sustained significant damage.

Jangi, a former co-president of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) who went on to establish the People’s Front after being ousted in 2021, surrendered after the standoff and was arrested along with his brother Polad and several senior aides.