The Democratic Union Party (PYD) has released a statement regarding the detention of PYD Hewler Representative Mistefa Osman Xelîl, Autonomous Administration representative Cihad Hesen and PYD member Mistefa Ezîz Mistê in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq). The officials from North-East Syria were arrested by the KDP forces at Erbil Airport where meant to receive their guests on June 10. No news has been received about the detained politicians for 21 days.

“Since the day our friends were arrested, we have been calling out to the South Kurdistan Government to explain the fate of our friends and the reasons for their arrest. Yet all our calls have gone unanswered,” the PYD statement said.

“As the Democratic Union Party, we consider the Southern Kurdistan Government responsible for anything that could happen to our friends and for their safety,” the statement noted.

“We call on the South Kurdistan government to release our representatives.  We follow the process closely. According to the information we received, our representatives were handed over to those who are hostile to Kurds,” it added.

Defining the arrest of NES representatives as a direct attack on the party and their national unity efforts, PYD added that the Hewler government “encourages the Turkish invasion attack and undermines our cause.”