Lahur Sheikh Jangi's legal team accuses Sulaimani court of political interference
Lawyers allege appeal cases are being blocked, warn of deteriorating health of Lalazar detainees, and urge human rights groups to intervene
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — The legal team representing Lahur Sheikh Jangi on Wednesday accused the Sulaimani Court of operating under political influence and obstructing the judicial process by refusing to forward case files related to the Lalazar detainees to the Kurdistan Region's Court of Cassation.
Speaking at a press conference, the lawyers also called on local and international human rights organizations to break their silence and intervene to uphold the rule of law, alleging that the detainees have been held for nearly 11 months without a proper legal framework.
According to the legal team, the detainees were arrested by what they described as "a partisan force" and have effectively been treated as "political hostages" since their detention.
The lawyers further claimed that the prisoners have been subjected to physical and psychological torture, warning that their health has significantly deteriorated.
They argued that the alleged treatment constitutes violations of international human rights conventions, Iraq's Constitution, and the legal procedures governing criminal courts.
Appeal court requests allegedly ignored
The legal team said the Kurdistan Region's Court of Cassation has formally requested the case files of Jangi and his associates on 12 separate occasions.
However, they alleged that the Sulaimani Court has refused to comply with those requests, describing the alleged refusal as an affront to the authority of the Court of Cassation and to the judicial hierarchy established under Kurdistan Region law.
The lawyers questioned whether judges in Sulaimani were acting independently or following political directives.
They cited Article 35 of the Kurdistan Region Judicial Authority Law No. 23 of 2007, which requires judges to remain impartial, refrain from partisan activities, and safeguard the integrity of the judiciary.
According to the legal team, withholding the case files deprives defendants and their lawyers of their constitutional right to appeal before a higher judicial authority and undermines the foundations of due process.
They also argued that delaying the transfer of the files, creating legal obstacles, and prolonging the detainees' custody without resolving their cases amount to clear violations of human rights and the principles of justice.
The lawyers called on the president and members of both the Kurdistan Region's Court of Cassation and the Sulaimani Court to fulfill their legal responsibilities independently and uphold the rule of law.
Lawyers raise health concerns
During the press conference, attorney Dana Taqiaddin, a member of the legal team representing Jangi, claimed that "the Sulaimani Court is under partisan domination."
He said Jangi had informed the legal team that some detainees had recently begun hunger strikes, while others had refrained from doing so because of serious health concerns.
"As a legal team, we do not believe they should continue the hunger strike because of their medical condition," Taqiaddin said.
He also said Jangi rejects any political settlement of the case and insists that the allegations against him should be resolved exclusively through the courts.
"He says accusations have been made against him, and it is the law that should determine the truth," Taqiaddin added.
The legal team further alleged that no judicial documents have been transferred from Sulaimani to the Court of Cassation for nearly a month, despite judges affiliated with the appellate court having returned to Sulaimani.
The case stems from violent clashes that erupted on the night of Aug. 22, 2025, near the Lalazar Hotel in Sulaimani between forces affiliated with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) led by Bafel Talabani and armed supporters of Lahur Sheikh Jangi.
Following several hours of fighting, Jangi and dozens of his supporters were arrested. The confrontation left multiple people dead and injured on both sides, becoming one of the most serious episodes of internal political violence in the Kurdistan Region in recent years.