ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A court in Sulaimani has issued an arrest warrant for Lahur Talabany, leader of the opposition People’s Front (Baray Gal), court spokesperson told Rudaw. The warrant comes just days after another opposition leader was arrested in the city.
Sulaimani court's spokesperson Judge Salah Hassan told Rudaw that the arrest warrant issued for Talabany and several other people and is related to "crimes" these people have allegedly committed. He did not disclose the details due to the sensitivity of the issue.
Media outlets affiliated with Talabany cited an unnamed source from his office, claiming that his cousin, Bafel Talabani - leader of Sulaimani’s ruling Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) - is seeking to exploit the courts to target the opposition figure.
Aras Sheikh Jangi, Talabany's brother, told Rudaw that the opposition figure is at the Lalezar Hotel and claimed that there is a "scheme" to harm the stability and security of the province.
Talabany had another arrest warrant in 2021 after his expulsion from the PUK. He used to be the co-chair of the party.
In July 2021, Bafel Talabani and his brother, Qubad Talabani, changed the heads of the PUK’s intelligence agency and counter-terrorism units, replacing officials who were close to Lahur Talabany with others loyal to Bafel Talabani, who was later declared as the president of the party.
A Rudaw reporter in Sulaimani observed unusual movements by security forces shortly after news of the arrest warrant emerged.
Baray Gal secured two seats in the Kurdistan Region’s latest parliamentary elections.
Shaswar Abdulwahid, leader of Kurdistan Region’s largest opposition party, New Generation Movement (NGM), is also facing several charges. He was arrested last week by Sulaimani security forces and appeared in court on Thursday.
A judicial decree dated August 3 revealed that Abdulwahid had been sentenced in absentia to six months in prison under Article 431 of the Iraqi Penal Code, which pertains to making serious threats against others, their property, or their reputation. The charge carries a potential sentence of detention or a fine, classifying it as a lesser offense.
The original complaint was filed in 2021 by a former member of the Kurdistan Region’s parliament.
Updated at 12:33 am on August 22, 2025.
