MESOP MIDEAST WATCH: Poisoning of PUK Leaders: All We Know So Far

30.10.21 ERBIL — Several senior leaders of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) are confirmed to have been poisoned by “deadly agents” as an internal rift in the highest ranks of the party deepens. As the events unfold, more leaders of the Kurdish party rushed to Germany for medical tests and, in some cases, treatments.

On 8 July, PUK Co-leader Bafel Talabani begun ousting several people from key positions, including head of PUK-affiliated intelligence agency known as Zanyari, and the party’s counter-terrorism unit. The overthrown individuals were mainly the family members of those close to the second co-leader of the party, Lahur Jangi.

While some interpreted the move as coup between the cousins in the top co-leadership of the PUK, Bafel Talabani said it was an essential decision to reform the party. He also seized several dozens of media organizations and social media pages run by Lahur Jangi and his group.

Poisoning of Bafel Talabani

During an interview in early September, Talabani said a spy had been sent to his home and he was poisoned in an attempt to shake the the power within the PUK. He indicated that Jangi was responsible for the plot.

Talabani said he had seized documents showing that Jangi and his brothers, most of whom were in senior positions back then, were planning a coup against the “house of Mam Jalal” — the late president of Iraq, former secretary general of the PUK, and the father of Bafel Talabani.

The co-leader also claimed that medical tests had proven the poisoning attempt on him, and that he will handle the situation through legal channels, but he was not sure if any legal action would take place in Kurdistan or abroad, as both Bafel Talabani and Lahur Jangi hold British citizenship.

Who Else Has Been Poisoned?

Later on, several other senior leaders of the PUK, mostly those with closer ties to Bafel Talabani, confirmed that they were also targeted in the poisoning attempts. Most recently, Mala Bakhtiyar, a member of the PUK leadership, was flown to Berlin where he took medical tests.

Amin Baba Sheikh, a spokesperson for the party, said earlier this week that Mala Bakhtiyar was in unstable health conditions. However, he denied to elaborate further and encouraged the media to wait for the results of investigations into the case.

A second senior official whom has been subject to the poisoning attempts was Wasta Hassan, the former chief of Sulaymaniyah Directorate of Security. He was also sent to Berlin for medical tests.

Contacted by BasNews for commenting on the reports, Wasta Hassan said he could not make any statements immediately. However, he did not reject the poisoning attempt.

Ata Sarawi, another PUK leadership member, was also poisoned in a similar attempt. He was among the most outspoken officials who criticized the PUK’s political stance on different subjects before 8th July, when Lahur Jangi was still in power.

Legal Approaches Based on Iraqi Laws

Although the poisoning of PUK leaders is, apparently, a politically motivated crime, the Iraqi laws do not define it as a “Political Crime”. According to Article 22 from Iraq’s Penal Code, the punishments for ordinary crimes and political crimes are different.

Article 21 defines poisoning of individuals, although of political leaders, as a premeditated murder case. This will leave the courts to deal with such cases as a civic crime without taking into consideration the involvement of political motivations.

Iraqi penal code 111 of the year 1996, in the section (B) of Article 406, defines assassination attempts by poisoning or explosives as “premeditated murder” for which the punishment is “execution”. However, since almost all the targeted officials of the PUK have survived the assassination attempt, according to section (A) of Article 31 from the same law, the punishment will be “life in prison” due to the fact that the planning and execution of the plot were proven but the success of the plot was prevented.

Who Can Refer the Case to the Court?

Since the official spokesperson of the PUK has confirmed the poisoning of Mala Bakhtiyar, and Talabani himself has confirmed the same attempt in his case, the Iraqi law allows the Public Prosecutor to take action without having an complaint officially registered by the political party or any of the targeted individuals.

PUK’s Expected Reaction

Almost everyone agrees that the poisoning of the PUK leading figures was purely motivated by politics, more precisely power over the so-called “green zone” where the PUK is the de facto ruler. This will further complicate the situation and leaves the PUK with limited options in response.

PUK leaders have already indicated intentions to force Lahur Jangi and his brothers to leave the Kurdistan Region and do not interfere in its politics, especially the PUK, again. The individuals in question all hold British citizenships and they are expected to reside in the UK again if such a decision is taken.

However, Lahur Jangi so far denies all the allegations and is now attempting to gain more support, both from Iraqi political parties and the Iranians, to secure a position for himself in the future of the Kurdish politics. This, however, seems impossible after Bafel Talabani said in his latest interview that the reshuffling within the PUK are final, and that the party “will not go back to before July 8th”.