Hasan Kaçar, a member of the Erbil (Hewlêr) representation of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), who was imprisoned in Turkey for five years for political reasons and then settled in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) after his release, was forcibly removed from Erbil with his family last week.
Hasan Kaçar, a political refugee who had been living in the city since 2015, stated that the Turkish National Intelligence Organisation (MIT) and Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) on numerous occasions had threatened him and tried to force him to become an informer.
“I’m from the Hakkari (Colemerg) province of Turkey. I had been living in Erbil since 2015. I did not accept the impositions of the MIT and KDP and exposed this immoral policy. That is why they do not want me and my family in Erbil,” he stated.
Since the family was forced to leave Erbil, they are now in Sulaymaniyah, waiting to be able to return to their home. The Kaçar family members, in protest, have been demanding their rights in front of the United Nations building in Sulaymaniyah for days, Roj News reports.
“Our vigil in front of the United Nations building in Sulaymaniyah continues. The United Nations must fulfil its responsibility for the injustice done to us. We want to return to our home in Erbil safely. Otherwise, the United Nations itself will be the primary culprit in enabling the injustice done to us. Because we are political asylum seekers here and the United Nations is responsible for us.”
The family members stated that they would continue their vigil until their problem was resolved.