The Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) has strongly condemned the assassination of Hüseyin Arasan, a member of the Mesopotamia Workers’ Association, that took place in Sulaymaniyah (Silêmanî) in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) on Friday morning.
In a statement released on Friday through the party’s social media account, the HDP stated that the “attack is a continuation of the massacre of Nagihan Akarsel and dozens of Kurdish patriots. It is the duty of the [Kurdistan] regional administration to expose those responsible for this heinous murder as soon as possible.”
Hüseyin Arasan sustained three gunshot wounds out of the nine shots fired. He was immediately transported to Şoreş Hospital in critical condition and remained in that state until Saturday, when he passed away, according to a report by the Mezopotamya Agency. His body has been transferred to the morgue at the Sulaymaniyah Forensic Medicine Institution. While the funeral arrangements are yet to be finalised, members of the Mesopotamia Workers’ Association have confirmed that autopsy procedures will begin later today.
In a statement released on Saturday, the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) accused the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Turkish intelligence agency of collaborating in the assassination of Arasan, saying that he was targeted as part of a coordinated plan. The KCK further criticised the Iraqi Kurdish government and security forces for their failure to protect Kurdish revolutionaries.
Originally from the Kurdish-majority southeastern province of Mardin (Mêrdîn) in Turkey, Arasan had sought refuge in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) due to legal cases filed against him in Turkey.