People no longer trust security institutions in South Kurdistan

Soran Omer said security forces are losing the trust of the people for they are perceived as politically biased.

Soran Omer, President of the Commission on Human Rights in the South Kurdistan Parliament, stated that the security institutions of Kurdistan have become "a part of the political apparatus" and therefore "the people no longer trust them".

Omer, who is also a Komeley Islamic parliament member, made the important evaluations of the accusations of the parties after the alleged attack on Hewler Governorate on 22 July and the elections in Southern Kurdistan and Iraq.

Omer, taking note of the accusation made by the parties after the armed attack on Hewler Governorate, in which a Christian lost his life, said:

"We, at Komeley Islami, condemn the armed attack carried out on the Governor of Hewler by three young men. First of all, the security institutions must protect the government and all its citizens in an impartial manner.

There must be great confidence in the security forces. Every incident that takes place should be examined with great care so that the people can rely on these institutions.

Public security forces do not depend on political forces in security matters. They examine incidents in a fair way. The main task of public order is the security and protection of the people. But this is not what is happening. For this reason, the public has no confidence in the security forces anymore. Public order forces should make a broad review in the Kurdistan region aimed at leaving no doubts in people's mind about the various incidents".

Omer also said: "In politics security forces cannot be accepted as basing themselves on political force, the courts must do their duty, the security forces cannot influence the decision of the court, the security forces cannot take side. This accusation against Komaley Islam is a criminal charge made by the political parties".

Omer added: "There is no arrest warrant against me. I've just been shown as a witness in a file. But the statements of security officials are not an explanation by an authorized person. We have been able to apply for the necessary investigation and examination of the matter. We hope that the security officials will not make such a misrepresentation without the court reviewing the case again".

Omer also had this to say about elections in South Kurdistan:

"Parliamentary elections in South Kurdistan should have been held a year ago, but unfortunately they were delayed and are now expected to be postponed again, although political contradictions and conflicts in Iraq have not ended and indeed have further deepened with the results of the parliamentary elections".

Omer said the following on the Iraqi parliamentary elections: "There have been fraud and injustices in the Iraqi parliamentary elections. The result that has been announced, reveals a new situation in the region. If the votes had been counted by hand, the actual results would have been better. Even now, they cannot explain the actual election results due to the crisis and turmoil in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. Governments in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region will not be established unless radical changes are made."