Yearly Archives: 2013

Maliki government is the cancer of Iraq

By Mufid Abdulla: No one should be at all surprised by the latest news from the BBC that that level of violence in Iraq has risen back to 2008 levels. Nuri Maliki’s government has produced nothing but corruption and a bloodbath in the centre and south of Iraq. It soon became clear that this administration’s priority…

‘From hell to jail’: Rojava refugees

Kamal Chomani

By Kamal Chomani: Twitter: @KamalChomani A bitterly cold winter menaces some 235,000 Rojava Kurds (Syrian refugees) who sought safety and security in the Kurdistan Region (KR) as violence tore Syria apart. Over 12,000 of them, living in the Kawrgosk Refugee Camp, next door to the Kalak oil refinery, are gradually acclimatising to life under tents…

Mass trial of Abdullah Ocalan’s lawyers to be observed by UK barristers

Political arrests in Turkey

Peace in Kurdistan Campaign press release: The seventh hearing in a long-running trial against the legal representatives of Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) who is currently in talks with the Turkish government to resolve the 30-year-old Kurdish –Turkish conflict, will take place tomorrow. Bookmark on Delicious Recommend on Facebook Share…

Closing the gap between higher education and workplaces in Iraqi Kurdistan

Rawaz

By Rawaz Sulaiman: Having professional qualifications is always vitally important when applying for jobs. Like other parts of the world, the Kurdistan region of Iraq has been making progress in many different ways, as shown by the economic boom. Undoubtedly, this prosperity requires that we have well-qualified people to govern the region effectively. Nowadays, higher education…

Kurdistan Regional Government: under construction

Momen Zellmi

By Momen Zellmi: The Kurdistan Region parliamentary elections took place on 21st September 2013. According to the Iraqi High Electoral Commission, there were 366 female and 736 male candidates, a total of 2,653,743 people were eligible to vote in the three provinces of Erbil, Sulaymaniyah and Dohuk and 74% of them did so. Three months…

We must ensure Kawa did not die in vain

By Mufid  Abdulla: It was late night on 5th  December, when one of our KT correspondents called to say that the young journalist, and editor of ‘Rayal’ magazine, Kawa Germyani had been murdered in front of his mother’s home. The details were still unclear but it struck me that this was the fourth journalist and…

Kawrgosk refugee camp – a photo-story

KT Photo-Story: The Kawrgosk Refugee Camp was built on 15 Aug 2013, near an oil refinery in Khabat outside of Hawler. Its 419,000-square-metre capacity was initially intended for 10,000 people but today it shelters just over 12,000 refugees, mostly from Qamishly in Western Kurdistan (North Syria). The residents have been provided with all their basic household equipment…

Literary Criticism and Literary Critics (part 2)

An Interview with Soran Fadhil Ali: Interviewed by Aras Ahmed Mhamd AAM: Plato banished poets from “The Republic”, claiming that poets are “liars” and “imitators”. Do you agree with Plato’s criticism? SFA: Although, at the beginning Plato banished all poets from The Republic, later he changed his idea and thought that we should imitate the works of the…

Kawa’s ‘killers’ arrested: but who ordered the killing?

KT Report: Three days after anti-corruption journalist Kawa Germyani was murdered at his mother’s house, his alleged killers were arrested by the security forces. The investigation is ongoing. According to a report published in ‘Awene’ Newspaper (where Kawa worked as a correspondent), four out of five of the gang have been arrested, all of whom…

When Mandela Died

By Yasin Aziz: When I heard Mandela died The symbol of freedom, the light of Hope has really subsided? When I heard Nelson Mandela died for his enormous soul I uncontrollably cried Bookmark on Delicious Recommend on Facebook Share on Linkedin Tweet about it Subscribe to the comments on this post

Murders of an ‘unknown’ kind in the ‘Other Iraq’

By Shenah Abdullah: You must have come across articles, books, blogs, advertisements, pictures and stories about the ‘Other Iraq’ where oil is ever flowing, the cities and towns are safe and secure, the people friendly and welcoming and the economy booming like never before under the leadership of the Kurdistan Regional Government—headed by Kurdish officials…

The nation is united in grief for our young journalist

By Mufid Abdulla: Kawa Germyani has left his mark on the south of Kurdistan in a way that few others have managed to do. His murder has plunged the whole nation into grief, as previously did the killings of Sardasht Osman and Soran Mama Hama. The life of this brave young journalist can become a…

Who was Kawa and why was he killed?

KT Report: Kawa Ahmed (also known as Kawa Germyani): assassinated at age 32, married since 2012, leaving a widow who is eight months pregnant. He was known for his anti-corruption investigative reports, particularly at a local level. Kawa was born into a poor family, and he lived in a small room with his wife. He…

South Kurdistan protests the murder of Kawa Garmyani

KT News: There were protests across South Kurdistan today (with the exception of Hawler) against the murder of journalist Kawa Garmyani who was gunned down outside his home in Kalar on Thursday night. About 1500 people joined the demonstration in Suli centre, which began at 1500 hours. Slogans included: ‘We won’t be silent’, ‘Murdering journalists…

BDP and HDP delegation visits Öcalan

KT News: A delegation from the BDP (Peace and Democracy Party) and the recently-formed HDP (Peoples’ Democratic Congress) is due to meet PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) leader Abdullah Öcalan in his İmralı island prison today. The delegation comprises BDP group deputy chairs Pervin Buldan and İdris Baluken, and HDP co-chair Sırrı Süreyya Önder. Bookmark on…