Tuesday, 26/01/2010, 12:00
1- White House and President of United
States of America
2- Vice President of United States of America
3- United Nations - Human rights
4- Amnesty International
5- European Unions
6-USA Embassy in Iraq
7- German Government
8- French Government
We have been witnessing in Iraqi Kurdistan under the control of both Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) led by Mr. Jalal Talabani and Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP)led by Mr. Massoud Barzani a lot of violation of human rights and violence against freedom of expression, especially after the opposition named Goran (Change) has gotten a considerable amount of votes and be able to get 25 seats in Kurdistan Parliament.
Reporters without Borders have observed an increase in press freedom violations and violence against independent journalists in Iraqi Kurdistan since the 25 July regional elections. Both of the two political parties that control the region have had a hand in these violations, of which there have been several recent cases.
We would like to draw your attention to the most recent one is that of freelance journalist Mr. Sabah Ali Qaraman, the target of a kidnap attempt on 19 January, 2010. Mr. Qaraman told the Reporters Without Borders :I was returning home by car with a friend at about 5 p.m. when I saw a grey jeep following us with four hooded gunmen aboard,
I recognized the driver, a long-time member of the PUK, he continued,
referring to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, the party headed by Iraqi
President Jalal Talabani. When they got out of their jeep, I realized they
wanted to kidnap me. I managed to elude them and I fled.
Aged 28 and living in the district of Kifri, 200 km southeast of Sulaimaniyah,
Mr. Qaraman has often criticized both the PUK and KDP.
I know they want to kill me because my articles are very critical of the PUK, especially as regards corruption, he said. They want to silence me but I will refuse until my dying breath to make any changes to the way I work or the way I speak out and criticize. The corrupt political system that exists in Kurdistan must change.
Following the attempted abduction, Mr. Qaraman filed an official complaint
against the old PUK member, Mr. X. The police said they would carry out an
investigation but Mr. X has not been arrested.
The reason Mr. X has not been arrested is that PUK used him for few other
killings and hit jobs in the past, so PUK is afraid that Mr. X might unveil or
talk. We would not be surprised if PUK might try to kill Mr. X themselves in a mysterious situation to just not uncover their crimes.
We would like to ask you for your investigation to this and all other matters in Iraqi Kurdistan with regards to the kidnapping, torturing, and killing innocence people by PUK and KDP and also to put pressure on both the leadership of PUK and KDP to accept the opposition and not carry out those kind of action against free reporters and journalists.
We would also ask you to make both PUK and KDP are responsible for the safety of Mr. Qaramans life and if anything happens to him.
Yours truly,
Kurdistan Post on behalf of Kurdish People
www.kurdistanpost.com
نووسەرەکان خۆیان بەرپرسیارێتی وتارەکانی خۆیان هەڵدەگرن، نەک کوردستانپۆست