A massive funeral ceremony was held in Sulaymaniyah for Gorran (Change) Movement Leader Nawshirwan Mustafa who passed away on Friday.

Mustafa's body was retrieved from the Faruk Hospital and taken to the big mosque in Sulaymaniyah Saturday morning. Following religious procedures here, thousands joined the funeral procession to Girde Zergete. Masses from Sulaymaniyah, Halabja, Garmiyan and other regions flocked to Zergete to join the final farewell to the Gorran leader.

Besides the Gorran Movement, representatives and supporters of several political parties attended the funeral, including Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), Tevgera Azadi, Democratic Union Party (PYD) South Kurdistan Representation Office, Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) South Kurdistan Representation Office, Yekgirtû İslami, Komeleya İslami, Buzûtneweyî İslami, Kurdistan Laborers Party (Zehmetkêşan) and Kurdistan Communist Party.

Tens of thousands attended the funeral, carrying the Gorran Leader's images and chanting “Kak Nawshirwan is immortal”. He was laid to rest with tears in Girdê Zergete area next to his house, which was his last will. Official ceremony began following his burial here.

Speaking at the ceremony, Gorran Movement Spokesperson Şoreş Hecî told about the struggle of Nashirwan Mustafa who was born in Sulaymaniyah in 1944 and started to take part in the struggle for Kurdistan when he was a student.

“Since the day he joined the struggle, he worked indefatigably for the people of Kurdistan. He did not give his political struggle against the enemy alone, but also for the oppressed, workers and everyone whose rights were abused in Kurdistan. He made great efforts for the formation of a regular army by the peshmerga. He always asked us to enhance the struggle and never give up. We should enhance the struggle by his last will”, Hecî said.

Speaking after, PUK Politburo member Qadir Hemecan stressed that: “He was a value for not only Gorran but for entire Kurdistan as well. As a politician, a peshmerga fighter and an intellectual, he struggled for the Kurdish people.”

HDP, PYD, DBP, Tevgera Azadi, Qazî Mihemed's family, Iranian Union of Intellectuals and many other political parties and institutions sent messages of condolence that were read out during the ceremony.