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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Sabah Barzanji, a former lawmaker from the Kurdistan Justice Group (Komal) and a prominent religious figure, was released on Sunday after being arrested the night before in Sulaimani.
'Dr. Sabah Barzanji was released at noon today,' a source from Sulaimani security forces told Rudaw on condition of anonymity.
Abdulsattar Majid, a Kurdistan parliament lawmaker and member of Komal's Supreme Council, also confirmed the release, saying, 'It is true, and we have also been informed of Dr. Sabah's release.'
Shwan Raber, another senior figure from Komal, had told Rudaw earlier in the day, 'We were told he would be released today.'
Barzanji served in the Kurdistan parliament's third term and is currently a university professor and senior Komal member.
No official reason has been announced for the arrest. Majid said, 'No official explanation has been given to us.' Two other senior officials from the group similarly said, 'So far, the reason has not been clarified for us.'
Sulaimani police spokesperson Sarkawt Ahmed said earlier Sunday that authorities were not aware of the arrest and that 'he was not arrested by us.'
In early July, the Erbil Investigative Court issued an arrest warrant for Ahmed Haji Rashid, another former Komal lawmaker. The warrant was sent to a Sulaimani court for implementation, but the reason was not made public. Rashid, however, has been charged under Article 226 of the Iraqi Penal Code, which criminalizes insulting government institutions. He has been openly critical of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
In late June, ahead of planned protests over unpaid public salaries, security forces in Sulaimani arrested a number of opposition lawmakers and journalists. At the time, Sulaimani's Asayish said the arrests were meant to thwart 'a plan by some troublemakers who intended to exploit the demonstrations… to disrupt peace and stability.'
The Asayish added that while some of those detained were unaware of the plan, the arrests were carried out 'to protect their lives, as well as those of other protestors and dissatisfied citizens,' and issued an apology.
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