VIDEO: Peshmerga protest against MP’s ‘disrespect’ of martyred families

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – Thousands of Peshmerga soldiers on Tuesday protested against the ‘disrespectful’ comments made by a Kurdish Member of Iraqi Parliament toward families of martyred Peshmerga.

Recently, Srwa Abdulwahid, a Kurdish female MP from the Gorran (Change) Movement in the parliament of Iraq, made a comment to an Iraqi TV channel that widows of martyred Kurdish forces live in difficult conditions where they are forced to “sell themselves.”

Following her comments, the people of the Kurdistan Region, especially the families of Peshmerga soldiers expressed anger and concern against Abdulwahid, calling the court to prosecute her for the ‘disrespectful’ comments.

“We are here to support the complaint issued by the Peshmerga Ministry yesterday against the MP,” Mansour Barzani, the head of Peshmerga Special Forces Unit and son of the Kurdistan Region President, told Kurdistan24 on Tuesday.

He mentioned Peshmerga continued to battle the Islamic State (IS) and protect the honor of people in the Region regardless of their ethnic and religious background.

Barzani added legal measures would be taken against anyone who disrespects ‘martyred’ Peshmerga families.

The Spokesperson for the Peshmerga Ministry Halgurd Hikmat, who was also at the protest, told Kurdistan24 every nation had “holy values” it should not disrespect under any circumstances.

“We look forward to hearing the court’s decision,” Hikmat said.

Thousands of Peshmerga rallied in front of the Presidency of the Public Prosecutor’s building in Erbil, calling for the trial of the Kurdish MP.

Abdulwahid released a statement arguing her comments had been misinterpreted by the Kurdish media, claiming her words did not refer to prostitution.

“We have received nine complaints against the MP by the civil organizations and Peshmerga families, excluding the complaints we received via emails,” the head of the Public Prosecutor of the Kurdistan Region told Kurdistan24.

Following the emergence of the extremist group in Mosul in June 2014, Peshmerga forces had liberated over 30,000 square kilometers in northern Iraq.

“[So far,] we have lost 1,614 Peshmerga soldiers and more than 10,000 Peshmergas have been wounded,” the Chancellor of the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) Masrour Barzani said last week in Washington, DC.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany