KDP releases PUK cadre after two years of imprisonment without legal bases

P.U.K 01:49 PM - 2023-04-04

Hersh Najm, a cadre of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).

Following more than two years of wrongful arrest and detention by the security forces of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), on April 3, 2023, Hersh Najm, a cadre of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) proudly returned to his home and family.

Najm went to his home to be with his loved ones. Zuber Osman, a member of the PUK Leadership Council, as well as other executive members, department heads, center members, and cadres from the PUK's Soran, Diana, and Bradost committees, presented him with flowers in celebration of his release and to welcome him back to his family and friends.

My children were tortured

The KDP security agencies have detained individuals in various ways over the past few years on false allegations. They have defied all human rights standards and unlawfully detained citizens before accusing them of crimes, sentencing them to prison, and keeping them there despite a lack of solid evidence.

"I was detained in December 2020 by the KDP Asaysh and Parastin forces in my home," Najm informed PUKMEDIA.

"KDP's Asaysh and Counter-terrorism raided my house and tortured my children before removing me from my home without committing any crime". "I was unjustly imprisoned and tortured just because I was a member of the PUK."

I was tortured 28 times in 40 days

Following the completion of his court sentence, the KDP security forces kept Najm in custody for an additional 7 months, torturing him in an inhumane manner. They threatened him and his brother with silence if he was released.

"I spent 40 days in solitary confinement, and during that time, I was interrogated 28 times". "Each time, I was tortured before the interrogation, insulted, and told that you are within the KDP's borders and I should act like the KDP wants me to".

"They" could not prove any of the crimes they accused me of in court, but seven months have passed since my release date. Not only was I not released, but I was also tortured daily," Najm added.

I was tortured in the KDP prison

"The prison where KDP held me was full of inmates from Sulaymaniyah, Penjwen, Halabja, etc. who came to Erbil for a visit and were arrested on false charges of being PUK members and for posting comments".

He added: "We were beaten with hoes and pipes, electrically shocked, and tortured in torture cages". Also, our food was terrible; three individuals received "one tomato".

"Our accommodation was very, very bad, we were kept in a 12-meter hall with 147 other people; I actually preferred solitary confinement," he continued.

The KDP's Counter-Terrorism abducted PUK cadre Hersh Najm Maraan inside his home in December 2020, and they've made several accusations against him. He was not only subjected to torture while imprisoned, but the party also decided to keep him there for an additional seven months despite the court's decision to free him.



PUKMEDIA