The migration to European countries from Iraqi Kurdistan has dramatically increased in recent years. This visible trend, which is now the foucus of the world’s attention with the crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border, has brought up discussions regarding human rights, freedoms and political crisis in Iraqi Kurdistan.
The semi-autonomous Kurdish region in Iraq has been governed as a confederacy between the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).
Speaking to MA, Dr. Haşim Zebari, a research associate at the University of Duhok, said that human rights violations and restricting freedom of expression have become widespread in Iraqi Kurdistan in addition to corruption, economic crisis, political crisis and instability.
The main problems the Kurdistan region face are not only based on lack of salaries or money. “The problems in the region started with political and economic corruption, injustice and the government’s failure to govern,” he said.
“Since 2015, when the Kurdistan Regional Government chose economic independence, it has been almost entirely dependent on the help of Iraq. It has been unable to pay civil servants and teachers wages.”
He also shared information that the Kurdistan Regional Government has been exporting between 430-450 thousand barrels of oil per day.
”The oil exports are very high this year,” he says, “Oil prices have also increased. However for some reasons, both governments could not increased the revenues. How come has this happened? They should answer that question. That is because of the corruption that the two ruling parties are involved in.”
“Disagreements between Baghdad and Erbil (Hewlêr) over oil policy,” he says, “deepened the existing problems. The Kurdistan region has been handing oil over to Baghdad since 2014. However, Baghdad does not share the revenue of the oil deliveries in return. This problem has been going on for years, as there is no laws to control the oil trade.”
Dr. Zebari says, foreign powers also play a role in this oil crisis. Like Turkey, which interferes in the oil issue between Baghdad and Iraqi Kurdistan, the Kurdistan parliament itself is unaware of the oil export agreements between Turkey, the US and European companies, according to him.
“Turkey plays a main role in this regard,” he says, “The discussions about Kurdistan’s pipelines are part of Turkey’s plans. Companies which affiliated to the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government benefit from these disagreements. Turkey repeatedly offered millions of dollars to the Kurdistan region. Even now, Turkish companies still owe millions of dollars to Kurdistan region.”
Zebari insists that above all economic, administrative and political crises, the burning issue in Iraqi Kurdistan is the crisis of freedom and human rights.
“Political and social crises are increasing in the region. The boycott of the elections was a reaction against Baghdad and Erbil. People demand human rights to be respected by both Baghdad and Erbil.”
The current governance of the state in Iraqi Kurdistan is unique, in its most negative sense, he says: ‘Such a rule is not acceptable in a developed world. In any liberal and democratic country, there is no place for such a mentality.”
He believes that Iraqi Kurdistan needs to adopt a democratic approach and to improve democratic governance. As long as this is not achieved, he warns, “more people will be added to those who do not wish to live here anymore.”
“The current government does not listen to the demands and does not respect the demands for freedom,” he concludes. “Youth migration to Europe has reached its highest level in the Kurdistan Region. If serious steps are not taken for a change, things will only get worse.”
