US denies visa entry for Kurdistan Parliament Speaker

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – The United States denied visa entry for the Speaker of the Kurdistan Region Parliament Yousif Mohamad, a Kurdish news agency revealed on Wednesday.

Shar Press, a Kurdish news outlet close to Gorran (Change) party, reported that Mohamad had requested a US visa in Erbil to visit Washington DC and meet with US officials, but his request was rejected.

Mohamad and four other ministers of Gorran were removed from their positions by a unilateral decision made by the Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani at the end of 2015.

Prime Minister Barzani cancelled his party’s (Kurdistan Democratic Party) partnership with Gorran and accused Mohamad of creating instability in the Kurdistan Region, especially in Erbil.

Shar Press states that although the reason for the visa denial has not been revealed by the US Consulate General, sources believe the denial might be based on the KDP’s request.

Kurdistan24 contacted the US General Consulate to investigate the reason, but they refused to clarify the alleged purpose of the visa denial.

“US law prohibits us from discussing individual visa cases,” a US Consulate General Spokesperson told Kurdistan24.

“When an individual applies for a US visa, a consular officer reviews the facts of the case and determines whether the applicant is eligible for a US visa based on US laws,” the Spokesperson continued.

“US law does not authorize the refusal of visas based solely on political statements or views if those statements or views would be lawful in the United States,” they concluded.

The Kurdistan Region is currently experiencing a financial and political crisis. Since Oct. 12, 2015, the Kurdistan Region Parliament has been unable to host any parliamentary meetings due to the political tensions raised mainly between both Gorran and KDP.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany