Lahur Sheikh Jangi Launch Hunger Strike Over Legal Case Handling

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The defense team of Lahur Sheikh Jangi announced on Sunday that Jangi and his brother, Polad, have begun a hunger strike in protest against what they describe as irregularities in the legal proceedings surrounding their case.

Burhan Rasheed Gula, head of Jangi’s defense team, told Kurdistan24 that the decision to launch the hunger strike stems from dissatisfaction with how their case has been handled. He said the brothers resorted to the measure after authorities failed to respond to their request to transfer the case to the Court of Cassation in Erbil.

According to Gula, the lack of progress on this request was a key factor prompting the protest, as the defense team considers the transfer essential to ensuring due legal process.

In a statement posted on Facebook, Jangi claimed that he and his brother have been detained for eight months in conditions that he described as inconsistent with legal and institutional standards.

“We have waited for the court to follow its legal course, but it is clear that pressure from Bafel Talabani and Qubad Talabani is preventing our case from being referred to the Court of Cassation,” Jangi wrote.

He added that the hunger strike is intended to highlight what he views as political interference in the judiciary and to demand adherence to the rule of law.

“To expose these actions, we are once again ready to risk our lives so that it becomes clear that no meaningful role has been left for courts and institutions in Sulaimani,” he stated.

These tensions date back to the night of August 22, when heavy clashes erupted around the Lalazar Hotel in Sulaimani between security forces and supporters of Lahur Sheikh Jangi.

The confrontations resulted in several deaths and injuries, leading to the arrest of Lahur Sheikh Jangi, his brother Polad, and dozens of their supporters, who have remained in prison ever since.