Latest news with #ShaswarAbdulwahid
Shafaq News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Trial date set: Kurdistan's New Generation Leader detention extended
Shafaq News — Al-Sulaymaniyah On Wednesday, a court in al-Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Region, extended the detention of New Generation Movement (NGM) Leader Shaswar Abdulwahid until August 24 and scheduled his first hearing for August 21. Abdulwahid was arrested a day earlier in the city's German Village district under a judicial warrant linked to an undisclosed complaint. Police said the operation was conducted in accordance with legal procedures and under direct judicial supervision. Rouwar Abdulrahman, Leader of the NGM parliamentary bloc that holds 15 seats in the Kurdistan Parliament, denounced the detention as 'political,' accusing the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), one of the leading Kurdish parties, of orchestrating it. He added that the case stemmed from a video in which Abdulwahid criticized an oil revenue deal between Baghdad and Erbil. "The move aimed to undermine the movement ahead of elections."
The National
4 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Prominent opposition leader in Iraq's Kurdistan arrested by security forces
Security authorities in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq arrested late on Tuesday the prominent opposition leader Shaswar Abdulwahid, his New Generation Movement announced. The party claimed that security forces affiliated with the rival Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party of breaking into his home and arresting him 'without any legal process', it said in the statement, adding that his whereabouts is still unknown. 'A force affiliated to a party arrested the leader of the largest opposition group,' it added. 'This carries nothing but shame and disgrace,' it said. 'Neither Shaswar Abdulwahid nor the New Generation can be subdued, and we, Shaswar's comrades, will continue the path of justice and righteousness'. According to a judicial decree document dated August 3, Mr Abdulwahid has been sentenced to six months in absentia under Article 431 of the Iraqi Penal Code, which penalises threatening behaviour or attributing dishonourable matters. No more details were released on the charges. The New Generation Movement was established in 2017 as a liberal political party in Sulaymaniyah province. Since then it has emerged as a powerful opposition group which challenged the influential tradition parties PUK and its rival Kurdistan Democratic Party. It came third in October last year in Kurdistan's parliamentary elections after KDP and PUK, winning 15 seats in the 111-seat legislative body. Political wrangling between the rivals have derailed forming the new government in Kurdistan. In March 2019, Mr Abdulwahid appeared in court in Sulaymaniyah on charges of "assaulting state employees" and defamation after an altercation at the airport. He was arrested, held briefly, and released on bail. The New Generation party denounced the charges as politically motivated and accused the region's dominant parties of influencing the judiciary.
The Sun
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Iraqi Kurdish police arrest opposition leader in Sulaimaniyah
SULAIMANIYAH: Police in the Kurdish autonomous region of northern Iraq confirmed the arrest of Shaswar Abdulwahid, leader of the main opposition party New Generation. Abdulwahid was detained at his home in Sulaimaniyah on Tuesday under a court warrant and is scheduled to appear before a judge on Wednesday. A police spokesman, Sarkout Ahmed, stated that the arrest followed legal procedures, though details of the charges were not immediately disclosed. A court official, speaking anonymously, revealed that Abdulwahid had been sentenced in absentia to six months in jail for repeatedly missing hearings related to a defamation case filed by a former lawmaker. The court may overturn the jail sentence for non-appearance but could keep Abdulwahid in custody pending trial for defamation, with bail remaining a possibility. New Generation condemned the arrest as politically motivated, claiming it was timed to disrupt a planned protest over unpaid salaries for civil servants in the region. Abdulwahid, a businessman turned politician, has faced multiple arrests since founding the party in 2017 and survived an assassination attempt in the past. Human rights groups have criticised the ruling Kurdish alliance for suppressing dissent and using arbitrary arrests against opposition figures. The New Generation party holds 15 seats in the 100-member Kurdish parliament and serves as the primary opposition to the dominant Kurdistan Democratic Party and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. – AFP
