Aras Sheikh Jangi Rejects Arrest Warrant Against His Brother Lahur Sheikh Jangi
Media outlets close to Lahur Sheikh Jangi Talabani have alleged that Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leader Bafel Talabani intends to use the courts to construct a fabricated case against the former co-president of the party.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Aras Sheikh Jangi, brother of Lahur Sheikh Jangi Talabani, on Thursday dismissed the recent arrest warrant issued against his brother, describing it as “far from the truth.”
Media outlets close to Lahur Sheikh Jangi Talabani have alleged that Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leader Bafel Talabani intends to use the courts to construct a fabricated case against the former co-president of the party.
Lahur Sheikh Jangi previously served as co-president of the PUK alongside his cousin Bafel Talabani. However, internal power struggles within the party escalated in July 2021, when Bafel ordered the closure of a media outlet linked to Lahur and dismissed several key commanders in both the counter-terrorism and intelligence agencies who were seen as his allies. Shortly after, Bafel declared himself the sole leader of the PUK.
In November of the same year, Lahur was formally expelled from the party, alongside several of his supporters, consolidating Bafel’s control over both the party and its financial assets.
Since then, Lahur Sheikh Jangi has pursued his own political path, founding the People’s Front, a new party officially licensed by the Kurdistan Region’s Interior Ministry on Jan. 17, 2024. The movement has attracted several former PUK members loyal to Lahur’s faction.
The latest legal developments come amid heightened political tensions between the two Talabani cousins, whose rivalry has reshaped the dynamics of the PUK and its role in the Kurdistan Region’s political landscape.
