Halk Cephesi Party urges Kurdistan, Iraq courts to take over Lalehzar case

SULAYMANIYAH, Iraq — The Halk Cephesi Party, led by Lahur Sheikh Jangi, has asked Kurdistan Region and Iraqi judicial authorities to intervene directly in the Lalehzar case in Sulaymaniyah, saying local proceedings are stalled and politically influenced. In a statement, the party said a clash broke place on Aug. 22, 2025, near the Lalehzar Hotel in Sulaymaniyah between forces of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and armed groups affiliated with Lahur Sheikh Jangi. While Lahur and several others were detained after the fighting, some were released without trial after months in custody, the party said. It added that 27 people remain held in facilities run by Sulaymaniyah intelligence and PUK commando forces. The party alleged that the Sulaymaniyah court process is moving slowly and being directed by PUK officials, and that the local court has avoided implementing rulings from the Kurdistan Region Court of Appeal in an effort to bury the case. It asked Iraq's Higher Judicial Council and the Kurdistan Region's Higher Judicial Council to take over the file. Lahur Sheikh Jangi appeared before a Sulaymaniyah court for the first time on Jan. 12, 2026, and the case was later transferred to the Kurdistan Region Court of Appeal in Erbil.