Shaswar Abdulwahid, the New Generation (Newey Nwê) Movement leader, Sulaimani, Iraqi Kurdistan, 2019. Photo: Abdulwahid’s twitter
SULAIMANI, Iraq’s Kurdistan region,— The leader of the New Generation (Newey Nwê) Movement Shaswar Abdulwahid and eight volunteers, was released on bail from Asayish custody on Thursday in Sulaimani in Iraqi Kurdistan, according to Judge Omer Ahmed, spokesperson for the Sulaimani Court.
The Sulaimani court issued an arrest warrant for Abdulwahid on May 15 as part of an ongoing probe into allegations of blackmail and defamation within the party – allegations he denies. He turned himself in the following day and was taken into custody.
A New Generation lawyer said on Tuesday that four volunteers from the Movement were released on bail after being arrested for over a month.
Investigations will continue and the court is yet to make a final verdict. The New Generation leader is expected to give a press conference later on Thursday.
Abdulwahid has repeatedly accused the Sulaimani security forces of launching a politically-motivated attack on New Generation.
Earlier in May, the Kurdish security (Asayish) released five video confessions by people close to Abdulwahid. They admitted to the blackmail, slander, and defamation of New Generation and rival party politicians.
Shortly afterwards, Abdulwahid accused the Sulaimani security forces of conducting a politically-motivated attack against New Generation.
Abdulwahid claimed that the ruling parties of PUK and KDP have constantly tried to “diminish” the party and he has notified all embassies and consulates in Iraq of this “repulsive scenario” because no judge would believe the confession videos.
The defamation charge relates to posts made on social media. The blackmail charge meanwhile relates to claims by Shadi Nawzad, an MP in Iraqi Kurdistan parliament, accusing Abdulwahid and others of issuing threats via text message to publish nude images of her.
The case follows a split in the party that began last month when several of its MPs in both the Erbil and Baghdad parliaments accused the leadership of betraying the party’s ideals.
The MPs specifically condemned Abdulwahid for allegedly turning the movement into a family business, undermining its collective decision-making process, and then trying to blackmail dissenters into silence.
According to observers, all political parties in Iraqi Kurdistan are family based. KDP’s Massoud Barzani and his clan have been routinely accused by critics of amassing huge wealth from oil business for his family instead of serving the population. The Barzanis control a large number of commercial enterprises in Kurdistan-Iraq, with a gross value of several billion US dollars. The family is routinely accused of corruption and nepotism by Kurdish media as well as international observers.
In a statement to the court on Tuesday, Abdulwahid denied he was behind the defamation of colleagues on social media.
The New Generation Movement, founded in 2018, holds four seats in Iraq’s 329-seat parliament and eight in the Kurdistan regional parliament. It offered itself as an alternative to the ruling family-led parties of KDP and PUK.
Need to be mentioned that Sulaimani province is under the control of PUK party militias forces. Iraqi Kurdistan is not unified region, it is divided politically and geographically between the KDP led by Massoud Barzani and PUK led by the Talabani’s clan.
The case against Abdulwahid continues.
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