People’s Front urges national and international stakeholders to act after arrest of leader Lahur Sheikh Jangi

SULAYMANIYAH — The People’s Front, led by Lahur Sheikh Jangi, on Friday called on consulates, diplomatic missions, and both the federal and Kurdistan Regional governments not to remain silent over what it described as a “non-civilian and terrorist act.”

“The life of Lahur Sheikh Jangi and all the members of the People’s Front are in the hands of the self-imposed leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan,” the group said in a statement.

The statement stressed that Sheikh Jangi is both a member of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Security Council and a newly elected lawmaker in the Kurdistan Parliament, where he won a seat in Sulaymaniyah in the 2024 election. The People’s Front secured two seats overall.

According to the Kurdistan Parliament, “Except in cases of flagrante delicto, MPs may not be prosecuted or interrogated, their residences and offices may not be searched. MPs may not be arrested without prior authorization from the Parliament.”

However, Lahur Sheikh Jangi did not take his oath in the Kurdistan Region parliament during the session in which most elected MPs did so. The parliamentary guidelines state that immunity begins upon taking the oath.

Security forces surrounded the Lalazar Hotel in Sulaymaniyah late Thursday before storming the building after several hours of clashes. Lahur Sheikh Jangi, his brother Polat, who was wounded during the raid, and a number of civilian and military associates were detained.

Other senior People’s Front figures were also arrested, including Jino Mohammed and Fenik Ahmed, both former Patriotic Union of Kurdistan members who joined the movement after Lahur Sheikh Jangi’s split from the party.

Zoom News, the television channel affiliated with Sheikh Jangi, suspended all programming on Friday after security forces took control of its offices and instructed staff not to return to work.