Gorran office in Duhok attacked by KDP

Reporting now on what happened this night in Duhok. KDP (Kurdistan Democratic Party) members and supporters have during the night been celebrating their victory. There have been celebration shooting everywhere on the streets.
We in Zakho got a call from our Gorran (Change List) office in Dohuk where three of our officials stayed. They told us that they were as of right now being attacked by KDP! There were 20-30 cars full of people outside the office shouting and cursing Gorran, throwing stones and even pounding on the door. Rocks came in through the windows.

We called the Asayish in Duhok for help but they answered us that they had nothing to do with that. We called the Moqafa (special demonstration security/riot force) but they also answered us that they had nothing to do with that. So we called the emergency center, but as soon they heard we were calling from Gorran they hung up on us! We called the mayor of Duhok and he said he could not do anything.

We feared for our comrades in Duhok and called headquarters in Sulaymaniya and some friends within the police. Now one police car and two Asayish cars showed up on the scene and the KDP cars left the office premises.They left to attack the office of List 59 (Service and Reform List) but we do not know what happened there.

After a while they came back. They kept throwing rocks and shouting curses. So we called head quarters in Sulaymaniya again. They called the Ministry of Interior. The Interior Minister must have contacted the mayor of Dohuk, Azad, who called the Duhok office to speak to our officials there. They called us here in Zakho and I got to speak with the mayor myself. He told me that it was illegal to have the campaign office there now that the election was over. We said that IHEC allows us to have it there for several days after, to give us time to clear it out. He told us it was our fault, we should have closed the office. He did not say anything about the attack but ordered us to take our flags and posters down right away and that the office should be cleared out at 8 AM. But what about the attackers? Azad said they were just drunken supporters out to celebrate their victory and that we provoked them with illegally being there with our flags and posters. The Asayish on the scene told us to start taking flags down before sending the attackers away.

The KDP hooligans also paid a visit to the house of Abdul Wahad, posted for a parliamentary seat for Change List in Duhok. He was not there but his family was home. His children were frightened when KDP smashed the windows of the house and shouted curses over Gorran.

We hear now that similar attacks happened during the night in Erbil. That makes me wonder if this was planned ahead by the KDP. What will they gain by this? Are they trying to intimidate us from protesting over the election fraud they commited?

Change List hindered by the police

Today we visited Duhok to meet up with our supporters there.We were happy to see that more and more people are coming to us to discuss the Change List program. Many of them are disappointed with the KDP (Kurdistan Democratic Party) and are considering abandoning them in favor for the Change List. It seems that the number of threats are decreasing. But the Asayish (Kurdish security police) and the Parastin (Kurdish intelligence agency) are watching every step we take. And it seems that they take every opportunity to obstruct our campaign by hindering us in any way they can.

This Sunday the Change List official in Dohuk, Ismat Nerwahi, was traveling back from Sulaymanya via Barzan. At the control before entering Barzan they were stopped by the Asayish. They were held there for 40 minutes while they were checking the car and ID's. They were traveling in a car with KNN (Kurdish News Network) symbols and with KNN ID's. Then they let them go. But they had only been driving a few miles when they were stopped by the Parastin. Now they were asked to turn back and take another road to Dohuk. So they had to take the road via Aqrah, on small roads over the mountains. They left Sulaymania at 6 PM so now they had to travel in the dark on unsafe roads and the trip that should have taken half an hour turned in to a several hour excursion.

Four days remain until election day. We will bear all the hindering of our campaign with calm and not let us be provoked. We ask our supporters to do the same.