August 31 Marks the Destruction of the First Democracy Experience in Kurdistan

Reports 01:34 PM - 2024-08-29

August 31 Treachery

We are nearing the remembrance of the August 31st treachery when a Kurdish party backed by Ba'ath tanks in 1996 undermined the integrity of the Kurdistan Parliament. 

This year, the anniversary of this dark history holds a unique significance for both the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the residents of Erbil. In preparation for the upcoming Kurdistan Parliamentary elections, the PUK has declared the slogan "We will reclaim Erbil" to mark the victory of the people of Erbil on October 20, 2024. 

A former member of the Kurdistan Parliament stated that the Ba'athist tanks' entry into the parliament building validated the incidents of Anfal and chemical attacks. "However, through the participation of the citizens of Erbil in this election, we will regain the dignity of the parliament and reclaim Erbil from the looters," the former MP said.

 

Erbil will be given back to its striving people 

In a message, titled, "Whom will we reclaim Erbil from and transfer ownership to?", Shalaw Kosrat Rasul declares: "Erbil is a city characterised by its strivers and hard-working residents, its multiculturalism and coexistence, and its sacrifices and defence of its sovereignty. It is full of people who are honest and talented, yet have been overlooked due to their refusal to comply with a certain party or force. Erbil belongs to the residents of impoverished neighbourhoods who can see the differences clearly from their homes. Thus, when I say we will reclaim Erbil, we are referring to returning it to these people."

He further said: "We will reclaim Erbil from those who invaded it with a foreign party. We all know that these were not the true owners of Erbil and will never be, given the dark path they chose to enter the city. We will reclaim Erbil from the shareholders, who will not allow anyone to start a project unless they own a share in it. We shall recover Erbil from those who bring foreign companies to the city and put people's property into their names, making themselves their partners, as well as from those who take over hundreds of acres of people's land and build their palaces on it. We will retake it from those who fled when they saw threats on Erbil and took a major portion of the city's wealth for themselves while selling a little portion to the people of Erbil."

 

Only a few days remain to mark the anniversary of a historic treachery

On August 31, 1996, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) undermined the integrity of the Kurdistan Region's first democratic experience, established in 1992 by a voter base of about one million. KDP transformed the parliament into a facility for Ba'athist tanks and armoured vehicles, while the PUK Peshmergas defended it.

In an interview with PUKMEDIA, Balanbo Mohammed, a former member of the Kurdistan Parliament from the PUK Faction, stated: "If a party has taken control of the parliament and Erbil with Ba'athist tanks, we will retake it through a democratic process with the support of Erbil's resilient people."

He further said: "On October 20, 2024, the people of Erbil will fight against oppression and restore dignity to the Kurdistan Parliament, which was taken over by the Ba'ath regime's tanks 28 years ago. This betrayal was a legitimization of the chemical attacks, Anfal, and numerous other crimes against the Kurdish people carried out by the Ba'ath regime."

He further said: "The KDP, holding the position of prime minister, refuses to make a consensus with the Iraqi government on salaries and the welfare of the people. However, during the August 31 treachery, KDP was not only willing to make consensus for the advantage of the party, but also brought tanks into parliament and martyred several PUK Peshmergas."

 

A witness: PUK Peshmerga defended the Kurdistan Parliament 

A former Iraqi army correspondent reports that on August 31, the KDP brought the Republican Guard troops to the Kurdistan Parliament building. In response, the Kurdistan Peshmerga of the PUK displayed a firm and unwavering defence of the Kurdistan Parliament, which greatly shocked him.
 
Mohammed Saber Alewi, a formal correspondent, stated that on August 31, 1996, a significant incident that captured his interest on that day was the arrival of the Republican Guard at the Kurdistan Parliament building where the PUK Peshmerga defended the parliament and a great number of them were martyred.
 
He said: "I was deeply saddened when the Kurdistan Parliament building, symbolising the first democratic experience in the Kurdistan Region, was taken over by the Republican Guard. However, I did not have any strength, I only recorded this unfortunate moment in my heart." 

With the assistance of the KDP, 400 tanks, numerous armoured vehicles, artillery battalions, katyushas, mortars, helicopters, and deadly weapons from the former Iraqi regime were tested on the Kurdish people on August 31, one of the darkest days in South Kurdistan's history. The Kurdistan Parliament building was also occupied. 

The founding of the Kurdistan Parliament marked the first experience of democracy in the Kurdistan Region. According to the official website of the Kurdistan Parliament, a total of 967 thousand 229 Kurdish voters took part in the formation of the parliament. Nevertheless, the dictatorial regime sabotaged and destroyed this attempt, which is widely regarded as one of the most significant acts of treachery against the Kurdish people, as documented in history. 




PUKMEDIA