The Foreign Relations Committee of the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) released a statement on the South Kurdistan’s ruling party KDP’s propaganda against the Kurdish freedom movement.

The statement by KCK Foreign Relations Committee includes the following:

"KDP media outlets and the prime minister of the Kurdish Region of Iraq (KRI), Mesrur Barzani, have recently intensified their anti- propaganda and perception operations against our Freedom Movement. In addition, they have provided manipulative information to embassies and consulates in South Kurdistan and Baghdad in order to direct them against our Freedom Movement. Some foreign missions and representatives have apparently come to believe the false and distorted information spread by the KDP and have made statements against our Movement. It is important for the representatives of foreign countries in the KRI and Baghdad to know that their statements are based on lies provided by the KDP and Turkey and harm the Kurdish unity and regional stability.

All along, the KDP has been making anti-propaganda among the Kurds and beyond. The aim is to legitimize the Turkish attacks on our Movement and our people. It tries to vindicate the genocidal, fascist AKP-MHP government propaganda and target our Freedom Movement. The KDP wants to create a certain perception by providing various pretexts and distorting previous events. As part of these activities, the attack on guerrilla forces two days ago in Amediye was also turned into a part of the KDP propaganda. The aim is to build the basis for even broader attacks.

The KDP has recently intensified its perception operations. It has spread propaganda claiming that our Movement is responsible for the use of violence during the protests that took place in South Kurdistan during the last days. We have publicly stated the position of our Movement with regards to this issue before. Yet once again, we consider it important to clarify our position publicly: It is deliberate propaganda to act as if the democratic, social and economic issues and demands of the south Kurdish population didn`t exist but to claim that it were outside forces that are pushing the protest movements in order to destabilize South Kurdistan. It is the flawed policy of the KDP-led KRI government that has created the existing problems and made the people turn to protests.

It has once again become clear that all the propaganda by the KDP and Turkey is wrong and deliberate. Their aim is to use this propaganda as a pretext for the attacks against our Freedom Movement. The attacks on our people and its struggle in North Kurdistan, Rojava, Sinjar, Maxmur, South Kurdistan and East Kurdistan are becoming broader every day. This kind of propaganda only legitimizes Turkey`s policy of Kurdish genocide and endangers the free future of our people.

In addition, the KDP is waging intense psychological and special warfare: It claims that the PKK doesn`t accept the south Kurdish government, obstructs villagers from entering their villages and the Ezidi people staying in refugee camps from returning to Sinjar and that the PKK is causing disorder in South Kurdistan. The goal of all this is to deceive the people and legitimize attacks against the PKK. In the past, the KDP had already tried to spread the impression that the PKK was endangering the status of South Kurdistan thus providing a pretext for attacks. Now, the KDP is trying to prove these claims, strengthen them and legitimize its attacks by holding the Freedom Movement solely accountable for acts of violence that occurred during the latest protests in South Kurdistan.

The demands of the people are right and justified. But acts of violence cast a shadow on the justified and right protests of the people. There are attempts to create a pretext for future attacks and provocations by hostile forces. Therefore, acts of violence are wrong since they cast a shadow on the democratic demands and protests. On the other hand, resorting to violence to curb the legitimate demands of the people will only increase the existing problems. That is why the best thing to do is to solve the problems through a dialogue with the people and a democratic attitude.

As the Kurdistan Freedom Movement we are not part of and don’t support any movement that opts for acts of violence in South Kurdistan. We don`t approve of any such acts. All these claims are nothing but demagogic and mendacious propaganda. Those responsible for such statements intend to cover up the existing problems and run away from their own responsibility for the latest events. We call on our people and all related circles to take a clear stance against this dirty plan and propaganda and rebut them."