Independent Human Rights Commission Delegation Meets Sheikh Jangi and Lalazar Detainees

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – A delegation from the Independent Human Rights Commission in the Kurdistan Region on Tuesday visited Lahur Sheikh Jangi, leader of the People’s Front, along with all detainees held in connection with the Lalazar incident.

Sulaiman Mohsin, Director General of the Commission’s Communications and Media Office, told Kurdistan24 that the delegation met with Sheikh Jangi for about 40 minutes.

“According to Lahur Sheikh Jangi, no torture had taken place, and the security forces had recorded no video confessions,” Mohsin said. He added that Sheikh Jangi had requested to see his lawyer and expected to meet with him within two days.

The delegation also met with 163 members of Sheikh Jangi’s Scorpion Force currently in custody. “We visited them closely, and they were in good health,” Mohsin confirmed.

Regarding casualties, Mohsin noted that Sulaimani security officials had submitted a report to the commission confirming that five individuals were killed during the incident.

The confrontation began late on the night of August 21, when a large Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) force—including commandos, Asayish, and the Counter-Terrorism Group—moved toward Sheikh Jangi’s residence at the Lalazar Hotel. On the morning of August 22, heavy clashes broke out between PUK forces and the Scorpion Force. Three PUK members were killed and 19 others wounded in the hours-long fighting. Sheikh Jangi and his brother Polad were later arrested.

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 Sheikh Jangi 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, Sheikh Jangi was formally expelled from the party, along with several of his supporters, thereby consolidating Bafel’s control over both the party and its financial assets.

Since then, 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 Sheikh Jangi's faction.