“KDP is a decisive cause of flight from South Kurdistan”

Many of the migrants piled up on the Belarusian-Polish border come from southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq). Kurdish politicians who spoke to ANF on the matter see the South Kurdistan’s ruling party KDP as a decisive cause of flight. According to them, the KDP brutally persecutes any opposition similar to the AKP/MHP regime in Turkey. Together with Turkey, the KDP even promotes flight from the region. In this way, it seems to want to get rid of unwelcome critics.

“The entire wealth of South Kurdistan is controlled by two clans”

The Kurdish politician Musa Çiftçi lives in South Kurdistan. He reports on a series of crises that have intensified the current lack of prospects in the region. In particular, the events in connection with the attacks by ISIS, the crisis surrounding the independence referendum, the lack of wage payments and other political and economic crises have exacerbated the situation, according to Çiftçi. “People had become accustomed to being paid [by the government] and were thus cut off from production. As in Turkey, they [the ruling parties] divided all the mineral resources among their supporters. All the wealth of South Kurdistan is controlled by two clans. The population in South Kurdistan is hungry, miserable and impoverished. There have been months of protests. The KDP cracked down very hard on these protests. Many people were taken from their homes, tortured and thrown into prisons. There is no democratic institution, and the parliament is dysfunctional. Therefore, people have no hope left.”

“Many are leaving the country”

Çiftçi told that there is no longer any confidence in the electoral system. Participation in the last elections, for example, was between 25 and 30 percent. Due to electoral fraud, many have given up hope that the system can be changed through elections and have made their way to Europe. He continued, “With the flight of those who have protested against the regime and are critical of the government, South Kurdistan is being depopulated on the one hand, and on the other hand it is becoming easier for the KDP to commit corruption in an even more relaxed manner. This is what the system wants here. They don’t want any structure, any popular movement, to disturb them in their goings-on. Therefore, the depopulation of the region is also in Turkey’s interest. That the Kurdish people leave their country is the wish of these circles.”

“Instead of talking about ways and methods, we must talk about the causes of flight”

HDP deputy Habip Eksik pointed to war and persecution as a decisive cause of flight, saying: “The tyranny of the regional government, supported by international powers, forces people who hold other political positions to flee. Instead of discussing what routes and methods migrants use, it is necessary to focus on the reasons why they left their homes and fled.”

Eksik noted that international refugee conventions do not seem to apply to people on the Belarusian-Polish border: “These people are left to die. This shows that international law is only applied arbitrarily. We must discuss and solve the causes of flight. People risk death to live, they leave their homes with their children and seek asylum in the EU.”

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