18/11/2009
Arbil, Kurdistan (KurdishMedia.com) 18 November 2009: A Kurdish activist was physically assaulted in Arbil, regional capital, in the same way that another activist was assaulted in Sulemani earlier in the month.
Mr Bruske Assad Mergesouri, lives in Sulemani, visited his ill son in Arbil on Tuesday. On Wednesday, around 14h00, he went to take his car out of the parking area, when 6 armed men followed him and attacked him with metal bars, and begun to encircle him, aiming for his capture.
Mergesouri defended himself and begun to shout, calling the men terrorists, so people outside the parking area could hear and may come to his rescue. Mergesouri has been seriously injured as he was beaten with metal bars all over his body.
Mr Bruske Assad Mergesouri, born in 1972, is a young peaceful Kurd, descending from the famous family of Mohamad Agha Mergesori. His Grand father, his father and all his uncles, including the hero of the battle of Hendren 1966 Fakhir Mergesouri, were murdered by Mustafa Barzani, the father of Massud Barzani, in 1975.
Mergesouri is well known Kurdish activist and has been critical of the PUK and KDP corruption, political repression and the falsified election held in Kurdistan last July.
Dara Haji Tofiq known as (Dara Raufiq Agha) was physically assaulted in front of his home in the city of Sulemani earlier in November by four unidentified individuals and he was beaten by metal bars. Furthermore, the prominent Kurdish journalist Nabaz Goran was physically assaulted in Arbil on 29 October 2009.
KurdishMedia.com has learnt that PUK has recently established “Lijney Mutabaa”, which is headed by a UK resident Kurd, whose job is to assault individuals who are critical of the ruling parities. This organisation is part of the PUK Asyaish or security services.
PUK and KDP security services started cooperation after their defeat in the last election. People fear that these attacks are part of a plan to creating fear in order to stop critical activists.
