Sulaimaniya: towards martial law ?

Is Kurdistan heading towards martial law? In Sulaimaniya, Jalal Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan's electoral campaign relies on repression. Mechanisms of a putsch in process:

The national elections in Iraq have the potential to wreck the illusionary stabillity of the autonomous Kurdistan. The two parties sharing power in the north-eastern enclave, the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (Yeketi, must face an opposition whose support grows amongst the population.

Tenses are particularly accute in Sulaimaniya province, for ages the uncontested fiefdom of Jalal Talabani's Yeketi. The PUK is threatened by the Goran reformist movement, whose success during the july 2009 previous elections had the effect of an earthquake in Kurdistan's political landscape. The absolute control the PUK has on the administration and the security forces was unable to prevent Goran's progress since. The party, aware that another vote will not but secure its agony, decided to turn the electoral campaign to a quasi-military campaign. It was made clear by Jalal Talabani himself in an interview given to the newspaper Sharq al-Aswat the 30/12/2009. He then said Goran members were "traitors" and "enemies of Kurdistan": an actual war declaration. The same night a Goran political office in Rania was set on fire.

Since the official start of the electoral campaign on the 07/02/2010 things worsened. Security forces, under control of the PUK, stopped buses to put party flags on them, are harassing journalists, are reluctant to investigate violences against Goran militants.
During the night from the 16 to the 17/02/2010 on salem street, Sulaimaniya's main artery, the hours-long parade of vehicles with flags of the different political formations, typical of electoral campaigns in Kurdistan, was interrupted by automatic fire from the anti-terrorist group. Three persons were slightly wounded and driven to the hospital, where a team came to arrest them. Eleven other persons were arrested the same night, and a TV crew linked to an opposition-linked TV station spent the night in jail.


A putschist scenario

Questioned the following day, Sulaimaniya's governor and the security committee declared they had no responsibility in the events. Is a PUK "putschist command" taking control of the town from Sulaimaniya's civilian government? Hero Talabani, mam Jalal's wife and campaign director for the Yeketi in Sulaimaniya, seconded by Hakim Qader, head of the Asayish - internal security - forces, are working to maintain the town in PUK's grip, elections or not. Accordingly to some security forces officers secretly supporting Goran, some plans have been deviced to harass opposition members at the end of salem street's demonstrations. it would consist in sending patrols off the artery at midnight, when the main street is emptying, to ambush Goran members going back home. The force used for these operations would be, apart the asayish, the anti'terrorist group, under the command of Bavel Talabani, Jalal and Hero's eldest son.

These dispositions are not without provoking discontent amongst regular police forces. The evening of the 17/02/2010 four PUK militants were arrested after having caused troubles. Party cadres went to demand their release to the police chief, who refused and threatened to withdraw his forces from salem street if there was more pressure from the party. He was convoked to a meeting at the PUK political offices with Hero Talabani and Hakim Qader, which didn't end before 01:00.

The outcome of this meeting appeared the following night. That evening, as usual, partisans of PUK and Goran were facing each other, each occupying one side of Salem street. The police forces, in anti-riot gear, are standing at the middle of the artery, preventing any contact between the two crowds.
But, at 22:08, the police withdraws, so letting the rival demonstrators by themselves.
So when a motorcade of four vehicles carrying Mala Bakhtyar, one of the most disliked PUK leaders, appears surrounded by his personal guard, missiles are exchanged between PUK and Goran sides. Suddenly gunfire errupts, fired by civilian dressed gunmen who are charging in the street. While Goran members are evacuating the place the quicker they can, several of them are caught by some plaincloth asayish who came amongst the demonstrators shortly before the troubles.


Salem street in the hands of the PUK

Shortly afterwards arrives the anti-terrorist group. Its troops will sweep Salem street pushing in front of them the few bystanders left. The place is now under control.
It is said two persons were wounded, including one by gunfire. But nobody knows for sure, and there has been no statement on people arrested that night. In a move which appears to have been carefully planned, the town's security committee took pretext of the troubles to ask to the Iraqi High Electoral Commission in Baghdad, for the electoral demonstrations to end at 21:00 every evening. Goran leaders fear this restriction to be imposed to their militants only, and that the PUK will not be affected by this electoral curfew. This proposition in facts leaves the field to the Yeketi, making it easier to prevent an efficient opposition campaign, and then keep the town under control until the elections.

And this day, of course, it is to fear that the voting stations will be heavily monitored by the asayish.