Kurds in Tuz Khurmatu continue to be denied constitutional rights
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdish officials in the disputed territories between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Federal Government of Iraq continue to face injustices and are often forcibly removed from their official posts, a local source in the contested region of Tuz Khurmatu said on Sunday.
Kamal Karim, a member of the Kurdistan Region’s Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), said out of 35 posts in the disputed area of Tuz Khurmatu, the Kurds are only offered two insignificant ones.
Despite the fact the Kurds are the majority in Tuz Khurmatu, the Shia Arabs and Turkmen hold every key post in the region, Karim noted.
Following the Oct. 16, 2017, attack and takeover of Kirkuk province and other disputed territories by Iraqi forces and Iran-backed Shia Hashd al-Shaabi militias, dozens of Kurdish officials have been removed from their posts.
Khurmatu is a multi-ethnic town, historically claimed by the Kurds where Arabs and Turkmen also previously lived in peace. The disputed city is located in northern Salahadin province and southern Kirkuk.
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“The position of the mayor belonged to the Kurds, but now in an arrangement between the Turkmen and the Arabs, the post has been given to a Shia Turkmen,” Karim told Kurdistan 24.
He underlined that such decisions prevent the Kurdish population from having any influential office or active political role.
As the minority continues to rule over the majority, the Kurds have only been allowed to select two posts from the available 35. According to Karim, these posts are limited to positions within the directorates of education, municipality, veterinary, and police.
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany
