The government puts Kurdistan Region in jeopardy

Reports 05:45 PM - 2023-03-26

Kurdistan flag with KRG logo.

The most recent report on global human rights state published by the US State Department is chock full of criticisms of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) for various cases of abuse of human rights, limitations on press freedom, and interference with the judiciary that have all taken place under the KRG's ninth cabinet.
 
A member of the Kurdish Parliament stated that "the KRG has created a situation that puts the Kurdistan Region at risk."
 
Irvin Hicks, the US Consul General in Erbil, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq, Crisis Group, and Human Rights Watch had previously issued warnings to the KRG regarding the deteriorating situation with regard to human rights under their rule.

The US State Department's report is accurate

"The US State Department's report on the Kurdistan Region is entirely truthful and accurate," Luqman Wardi, deputy head of the PUK faction in the Kurdistan Parliament, told PUKMEDIA.
 
"There is still more to be told," he added. "The KRG should reassess its policy rather than consider how to react to the US State Department and our partners."
 
The KRG's current cabinet, led by Masrour Barzani, is the worst in the KRG's 32-year history as a whole, according to Wardi.
 
"As a result, international reports and consulates have continued to alert the KRG," Wardi said.
 
"In addition to discriminating between different regions in terms of services and not implementing the promises made to the people," he continued, "this cabinet has not been honest with the parties that formed the government, and the state of human rights and freedom of expression have seen a significant backslide."

The KRG must be honest

This government has come under fire numerous times over the last four years for infringing on both the right to free speech and human rights, but the KRG has not paid attention.
 
Former Kurdistan Parliament member Abu Bakr Haladni told PUKMEDIA: "It is the KRG's responsibility to listen to the critiques of those countries and individuals who have been our partners for the past 32 years and who are now criticizing us for poor governance and human rights violations."
 
"The KRG should assess the human rights situation, take foreign reports seriously, and work on them rather than reacting incorrectly," Haladani added.

The US State Department has been easy on the KRG

According to political analysts, the US State Department's report on the Kurdistan Region is still insufficient and has been lenient toward the KRG.
 
"The KRG's response to the US State Department's report is irresponsible, and the entire report is so true and accurate," commented Choman Mohammed, coordinator of the Law Chamber of the Gorran Movement, on his Facebook page. "It cannot be denied or answered; we can even say that it has been easy on the KRG."
 
Mohammed stated that the Office of the Coordinator of International Advocacy is a useless and unproductive office that should be closed because it reacts carelessly and harshly to the reports.
 
"By all measures, the current treatment and mentality of this political caste is close to collapse, so the KRG should take steps to eliminate and remove the points of criticism and concern of the outside world," Mohammed said.
 
"Now that the US State Department and the UN are openly discussing the KRG's inadequate governance, this study holds a crucial message," he concluded. " Although negotiations and meetings with the KRG continue to this day, their official reports and perspectives on the Kurdistan Region have substantially changed."
 
The most recent US State Department report on human rights throughout the world for 2022 has been made public, and the section on the Kurdistan Region and Iraq is poor and describes abuses that happened under the leadership of the ninth KRG cabinet.



PUKMEDIA