Dr. Kamal Said to run for the office of Kurdistan presidency

[Piling]

April 17, 2013

VIENNA, Austria,— Ekurd has learnt that Dr. Kamal Said Qadir will run for the office of the Kurdistan Regional presidency.

In an exclusive statement to Ekurd.net Dr. Qadir, a Kurdish human rights activist and international legal expert with Austrian citizenship, confirms his candidacy for the presidential post of Kurdistan, as independent candidate, a copy of his official application received by Ekurd.net.

Dr. Kamal Said Qadir (also known as Kamal Berzenji) had immigrated to Austria in 1978 and studied law at the Vienna School of Law.

He has taught at the University of Suleimani (1998-99) as well as Salahaddin University in Erbil (1999-2000) in South Kurdistan [Iraqi Kurdistan region].

He is a well known writer between Kurds in Kurdistan and worldwide for his courage writings against the corruptions in Iraqi Kurdistan.

He was arrested and imprisoned in Iraqi Kurdistan region for criticizing the ruling party KDP and Massoud Barzani, the current president of Kurdistan, and he was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment in 2005 for the defamation.
Dr. Qadir was released in 2006 after international pressure and as a result of efforts by special envoy of the Austrian foreign ministry, Gudrun Harrer.

Even at his permanent residency in Vienna, he suffered attacks and threats for his opinions and negative attitude towards the Kurdish ruling party.

Moves to clear the way for Iraqi Kurdistan president Massoud Barzani to serve a third term have sparked criticism in a region that touts itself as a democratic haven in an unstable country.

Much-delayed elections in the autonomous region in Iraq's north are due before September 8, and voters are set to cast their ballots in provincial, parliamentary and presidential races.

In the last of those, Barzani and his dominant Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) are looking to bypass what his opponents say are clear legal hurdles to another term in office.

The Region’s last presidential and parliamentary elections were held in the July of 2009

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[Anthea]

No friend of Massoud Barzani

Should prove to be an extremely interesting election