KurdistanPost's Letter  To Mr. Nelson MandelaBut then after the collapse of Saddam’s regime, both PUK and KDP are controlling more and more of South Kurdistan in every way you can imagine. They are practicing the same model of dictatorship of brutal regimes in Middle East. They have their own secret police and agencies. PUK has a secret agency called (Dazgai Zanyari) and KDP has it own called (Dazgai Parastin). They are arresting journalists, reporters, and whoever criticizes them.   People are disappearing under both secret agencies without anyone knows what happened to them. Even more women are getting killed under both PUK and KDP than under Saddam Hussein on the name of honor killing. Even some of the killers are the members of PUK or KDP. Both parties are the best save heaven for a lot of criminals which they know that the law cannot touch them if they are the members of PUK or KDP because both Talabani and Barzani and their high ranking members of their parties are above the law. There is no democracy under both PUK and KDP. Two families run all Kurdish affairs, and their sons and relatives are in all over high government positions in KRG.  Nepotism and corruptions in KRG and in South Kurdistan are beyond imagining which cannot find anywhere else in the world to this extent. Every project is controlled by both party members.  You can see  the same model of old Eastern Europe or Soviet Union there when political parties high ranking members are  controlling everything and put anyone in prison or killed if raises his/her voice. Most of high ranking members of PUK and KDP are millionaires and stealing millions of dollars from Kurdish people. They are building high rise apartments and hotels and they are investing millions dollars aboard in Jordan, Dubai and Europe. Now they are the richest people in the region meanwhile majority of Kurdish people even do not have electricity, clean water, decent heath care and they have very little salary. Both political parties PUK and KDP make the universities and colleges a place for recruiting party members like old Soviet Union or Saddam’s regime. Whoever is a member of PUK or KDP or has a close relative in PUK and KDP leadership of the parties, they can easily be accepted in Engineering or medicine colleges or can be easily getting Master or PH D degrees. South Kurdistan is now a place for most corrupted individuals of both PUK and KDP.. In recent years, may Kurdish journalists and independent writers have been   beaten, arrested, harassed and killed by security forces under the control of both Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) led by Jalal Talabani and Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) led by Masud Barzani and   While ago they killed an old professor and journalist almost same age as yours in Kirkuk, his name Dr. Abdul-Star Tahir Sharif  just because he started to write articles against both Talabani and Barzani families and telling the truth about their past and also the most recent one was few month ago that Soran Mama Hama, a 23 years old young journalist killed just for writing two articles about the corrupted PUK and KDP members and Masud Barzani’s family. This indicated the beginning of a dangerous phase in trampling upon the freedom of expression which will destroy all the hopes as Kurdish people had for a democratic and free society. This terrifying attack against freedom of expression by arresting, attacking, harassing and killing independent journalists and writers creates an environment of terror and fear in Kurdistan that not allow anyone to write anything against corruption and abuse of power by Jalal Talabani and Masud Barzani and their families and their high   ranking members of both PUK and KDP. The recent reports of Human Rights Watch and other reports from independent reporters and journalists prove our claims about both PUK and KDP. Both parties are undeniably corrupt and giving extensive power to their extended family members. They are in charge of everything in Kurdistan. The finance and power in Kurdistan is controlled by a handful of clans of both Talabani and Barzani family and their party members.  As you said once again; “I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. “  So for Kurdish people the situation from the past has not been changed dramatically. Before we had been suppressed by brutal regime like Saddam Hussein, and now Kurdish people in south Kurdistan are suffering again and suppressed by both Talabani and Barzani families and    both families and their high ranking members of PUK and KDP are abandoning and betraying Kurdish people. Kurdish people have to fight again for their freedom, properties and y human rights as you said you have fought against both white domination and black domination. The enemy of peace, freedom and democracy are all the same regards of color, nationality or religion.  So we hope by writing this letter to you that you will be aware of the recent situation in South Kurdistan under the control both Talabani-Barzani family.  Again we as Kurdish will be honored to know that someone like you is in people’s side and defending Kurdish people for freedom, and peace and independence.  Kurdistan Post www.kurdistanpost.info

Dear Mr. Mandela  “Kurdish people is the largest nation in the world without its own state”  We have heard from some reports from Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) that you have been invited to South Kurdistan (North of Iraq) and we as Kurdish people will be honored to see somebody like you to visit our land and to be a friend of Kurdish people as you may know, as old Kurdish says “Kurdish people only have mountains as friends”, but we know that a great man like Mr. Nelson Mandela always a friend of suppressed and peace loving people like Kurdish people.  Sir once you have said:              “There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desires.”  Yes you are right Sir and there have never been an easy way for Kurdish people as well. Kurds are the largest nation in today’s modern and democratic world without its own state.  Their land “Kurdistan” has been divided into four separated parts of eastern Turkey, northern Iraq, north-western Iran and north Syria, since the end of the 1st World War, following the fall of Ottomans Empire. Ever since the Kurds have been denied a fundamental and natural right to live in peace and harmony by those countries and regimes where their land has been divided. Furthermore, they were subjected to all sorts of oppression and atrocities such as killing, kidnapping, massacres, and genocide. The most brutal atrocity was the Anfal campaign by Iraqi regime, which resulted in the disappearance of more than 182,000 innocent men, women and children. The Iraqi regime used chemical and biological weapons in its attacks on Halabja and the surrounding areas, which resulted in killing of more than 5,000 men, women and children in addition to wounding and disabling more than tens of thousands individuals.  Anfal operation was a systematic campaign against the Kurds in Southern Kurdistan to eradicate the rural residents by arresting and exporting the whole population into detention camps between the Iraqi and Kuwaiti borders.  The campaign was directed toward the rural population of south Kurdistan It resulted in the destruction of more than 4,500 villages and the disappearance and killing of more than 182,000 men, women and children and burning millions of trees and tens of thousands of orchards and livestock.  Kurdish people in Iraq have been fighting and struggling against all the dictatorial regimes in the past to bring democracy, freedom and prosperity and to be free like every human being in the world. We have suffered enough under all brutal regimes as we are suffering now In Iran and Turkey and Syria as well.  We as Kurdish people will never forget when you turned down Ataturk Peace Award in 1992 because of the oppression of the Kurds in Turkey and even after the rejection; Turkish press called you an Ugly African and terrorist Mandela. We are like you that we are costumed to all kinds of names called by our enemy in the past and now. We would like as Kurdish people to thank you for your honorable and revolutionary position for rejecting that reward for supporting of Kurdish people in fighting for freedom, peace and human rights against Turkish brutal regime.  Dear Sir, after Kurdish uprising in 1991 in South Kurdistan (North of Iraq), Kurdish people thought the era of suppression near to end and the new phase of freedom, properties and independence emerges. Kurdish people  with great ambitious are getting around  and supporting their  two main political parties Patriotic Union of Kurdistan( PUK) led by Mr. Jalal Talabani and  Democratic Party of Kurdistan (KDP) led by Mr. Masud Barzani   and both parties has established a Kurdish Regional Government (KRG)  but because of  with strong rival competition between them over power, they had a terrible civil war among them  in 1994 and caused thousands of Kurdish people killed  and also caused thousands more to have  taken refugee in Europe and other countries. And also Both PUK and KDP  helping Kurdish enemies just against each other as KDP brought Iraqi Army to occupied Hawler(Irbil) city in 31st August 1996 against PUK and also  helped Turkey in 1990’s against Kurdish people in North Kurdistan(  Eastern Turkey) and  as the prime minister of KRG, Mr. Nichrawan Barzani, nephew of Mr. Masud Barzani admitted to Turkish media that he and his party, KDP with his uncle as the leader of this party and President of Kurdistan Region sacrificed over 3500 Kurdish guerrillas for Turkish government against PKK (Kurdish Workers Party).