12 October

Dr. Yousef Mohammed
Eight years ago, on October 12, 2015, a large armed force, on the direct orders of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) President Massoud Barzani, prevented us from returning to the Kurdistan Parliament and closed it for two years.
The incident of preventing us from entering the parliament was predictable because the day we were elected as the speaker of the parliament, we had decided not to do anything that would prevent us from entering the people.
They prevented us from entering the parliament because we did not submit to their constant demands to turn the parliament into a dining room to raise our hands for their demands. We wanted the parliament to be a strong oversight institution to prevent corruption, non-implementation of laws and lack of rule of law; We wanted the parliament to be a platform for conveying the demands of the citizens and make them the rules of governance; We wanted no force to be above the parliament and all forces to discuss and decide together under the parliament through their MPs; We wanted the parliament to be open to citizens, the media and civil society organizations to monitor the work of the parliament and its members; We wanted academic centers, courts, organizations and private individuals to participate in drafting laws and decisions, each according to its expertise; In conclusion, we wanted to establish a modern democratic governance through the parliament, which was contrary to the wishes of the ruling caste in the region, so they closed the parliament.
They blocked our way to parliament by armed force. With the help of the Kurdish diaspora, we blocked their way to Europe through a diplomatic campaign and finally annulled the illegal extension of parliament through a petition to the Federal Supreme Court. If the closure of parliament on October 12, 2015 was the closure of the door to any reform of the post-uprising regime, then the closure of parliament by a decision on May 30, 2023 means the end of the legitimacy of the regime.

Looking back today, we thank God that we came out of the test of position and power with pride. Thank you to all those who worked together inside or outside parliament to achieve these goals