IFIR-Eng The International Federation of Iraqi Refugees
Zaki Chalabi, a political refugee and PKK supporter, was shot and wounded in Sulaymaniyah on Tuesday evening. He died on Wednesday evening from wounds sustained in Tuesday’s gun attack. Unidentified individuals on a motorcycle fired at least four times at the Deniz restaurant in the Bakhtiari area on Tuesday night, injuring Zaki Chalabi, the restaurant’s owner and the leader of the Mesopotamia Workers Organization.
According to the PKK-affiliated Rojnews, this is the second time a Turkish refugee has been shot in Sulaymaniyah in the last year. In September, Farhad Barish Qondu was shot in the neck in Sulaymaniyah’s Shakraka area.
The Kurdistan Regional government is unconcerned about asylum seekers and political activists. Security forces frequently harass and humiliate asylum applicants and threaten them with deportation.
The Iraqi government who shares the responsibility, is also indifferent to their plight. As a result, the Turkish and Iranian asylum seekers live in harsh conditions.
The International Federation of Iraqi Refugees, which holds the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Iraqi government responsible for the safety and the plight of Turkish and Iranian asylum seekers in Kurdistan, also holds the United Nations accountable for ensuring the safety and health of all asylum seekers.
The International Federation of Iraqi Refugees condemns Zaki Chalabi’s assassination and urges the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to investigate the murder and bring those responsible to justice.
International Federation of Iraqi Refugees-IFIR
19 May 2022
CC- Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International
