The Makhmur People’s Assembly has protested the death penalty of Mazlum Dağ and Abdurrahman Er (Muhammed Beşikçi).
Mazlum Dağ and Abdurrahman Er stand accused of murdering a National Intelligence Organisation (MİT) member in Erbil. Reactions to the death penalty sentence are vehement.
The Makhur Camp Families of Martyrs Association and the Makhmur People’s Assembly made a common statement condemning the death penalty. Reading the statement, Ali Bilehi said that the death penalty judgement was a tragedy for the Kurdish people and emphasised that the decision was unacceptable. He called on the relevant associations to reverse the decision.
The incident took place in 2019
Turkish envoys Osman Köse, Osman Muhammed Ali and Beşdar Ramazan Salih were murdered during an incident in Iraqi Kurdistan on 17 July 2019. Six people were arrested and placed on trial.
Abdurrahman Er (Muhammed Beşikçi) and Mazlum Dağ were found guilty of the murder of the MİT executive Osman Köse in 2019. Whilst Dağ and Er were sentenced to death, one of the six was sentenced to three years in prison and the remaining three received two-year sentences.
According to the laws of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), the execution can take place only if it is approved by Nechirvan Barzani, the President of the region.
Families demand the reversal of decision
Necmettin Er wrote an open letter to President Barzani on behalf of the families. It stated that the trial and the decision had been undertaken very quickly. They demanded a repeal of the death penalty for Er and Dağ, also noting that “these young people said that they were involved in this event as part of an attempt to defend the rights of the Kurdish people”.
In addition, Mazlum Dağ’s mother, Kudret Dağ, had previously claimed that her son’s lawyer tried to meet with Mazlum Dağ in prison on three occasions to launch the objection process against the local court’s ruling, but was denied on each occasion. To launch the objection process, a power of attorney needs to be provided. However, the time to lodge an appeal has almost expired.
