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Iraqi Kurdistan opposition leader arrested amid political tensions
The police in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region have arrested Shaswar Abdulwahid, leader of the New Generation Party, the main Kurdish opposition group. Authorities announced that he will appear before a judge on Wednesday as part of an ongoing judicial case.
Abdulwahid, a businessman and owner of a Kurdish television channel, was detained on Tuesday evening at his home in Sulaymaniyah, a city controlled by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) led by the Talabani family—one of the two historic Kurdish political forces.
Since entering politics, Abdulwahid has faced multiple arrests and even survived an assassination attempt. He is known for outspoken criticism of the region’s two dominant parties, the PUK and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) of the Barzani clan, accusing them of corruption, mismanagement, and failing to address poverty and unemployment. In the most recent regional elections, New Generation nearly doubled its representation to 15 seats, becoming the third-largest bloc in the Kurdistan Parliament.
Police stated that the arrest was made “under judicial order.” According to a judicial source, the detention stems from a six-month prison sentence issued in absentia for failing to attend court hearings in a defamation case filed by a former parliamentarian. This verdict could be annulled under law, allowing the case to be retried, with the possibility of bail.
The New Generation Party has condemned the arrest, linking it to Abdulwahid’s recent statements about unpaid salaries for public employees. The party claims he had warned that if the salary crisis was not resolved this week, the party would take a significant political stance next week.
Human rights groups have long criticized the Kurdistan authorities for arbitrary detentions, restrictions on peaceful protests, and limitations on press freedom.