The New Generation movement extends deep appreciation to the international community for their assistance and support over the past 32 years in promoting democracy, human rights, minority rights, and freedom of expression throughout the Kurdistan region.We plead with our friends in the international community to put severe pressure on the Kurdistan region authorities to hold the elections and establish viable alternatives to contain the escalating danger in the Region.

The New Generation movement extends deep appreciation to the international community

Today, the PUK authorities in Sulaymaniyah attacked a member of parliament from the New Generation and an engineering team who were attempting to repair a street that has remained un-restored for six years. This rejection of the opposition's efforts to improve the community and the restriction of their right to participate in elections and peaceful demonstrations raises the question of what the authorities truly want. Is it their intention to drive the people towards violent revolution?"

The authority rejects the work of the opposition

The outcome of the cancellation and marginalization of the Kurdish parliamentary elections is dire and will cause: a loss of legitimacy from the Kurdistan region, its government and parliament, non-recognition of its institutions in Iraq, and a potential invasion of the Kurdistan region by the Iraqi army at the request of a Kurdish party and with the support of some regional countries, all under the pretext of restoring democracy. All blame for this scenario will lie with the two ruling parties for failing to hold the elections.

The outcome of the cancellation and marginalization of the Kurdish parliamentary elections is dire

﻿From the bottom of my heart, I hope that the situation in Iraq will calm down and that all parties will resort to dialogue and negotiations. Because what is happening is a great danger. If war breaks out, God forbid, be assured that after years of fighting and more destruction in the country and the loss of tens of thousands of lives, everyone will resort to the same dialogue that they could have had at the present time without destroying our homeland and killing thousands. Also, I want to remind everyone, that dictatorship, deep crises, massive problems, do not just happen suddenly. They accumulate as a result of many previous actions and many smaller cases, until they finally explode. All because of our silence and our disregard for it. The silence of the domestic side (the people and the political forces), and the silence of the international community, which allows individuals, parties and states to become more and more terrible and dictatorial. What is happening in Baghdad will happen one day in the Kurdistan Region, because over the past 31 years, problems have been piling up, tyrants are getting bigger and bigger, and corruption is increasing more and more.

 I hope that the situation in Iraq will calm down 

"The Other Face of Kurdistan” a panel by Shaswar Abdulwahid at The National Press Club in Washington

The Other Face of Kurdistan

Shaswar Abdulwahid speaks at Middle East Institute