PYD- AANES administrators: abduction a clear hostility

The fate of the representatives of AANES and PYD who have been abducted by , Kurdistan Democratic Party, the PDK. since June 10th is still unknown. However, unconfirmed information signify they may have been handed over to the Turkish occupying state, and another they are under investigation by Turkish intelligence "MIT".

Member of the Administrative Body of the Foreign Relations Department of North and East Syria, Sanaa Daham Ali, asserts that their representative, Jihad Hassan, and members of the Democratic Union Party, PYD, Mustafa Khalil and Mustafa Aziz, were present in Southern Kurdistan in an official and legitimate capacity, "They have residence permit there and their presence in Southern Kurdistan is legal." She said.

Sanaa Daham explained that the abduction of AANES representatives and those of the Democratic Union Party is a clear and aggressive attitude against the gains made in the region and against AANES, stressing that this policy serve agendas of the enemies of the Kurdish people and AANES, noting that fate of both PYD and AANES representatives is still unknown, as she expressed her concerns about their health and their fate: "Until now, lawyers and their families cannot communicate with them."

In turn, member of the Presidential Body of the Democratic Union Party, Sama Baghdash, explained that their representatives and those of the AANES were officially engaged in political and diplomatic work within their offices in Southern Kurdistan. The kidnapping was illegal and had taken place while they went to receive an official delegation.

Sama Baghdash confirmed that they did not have any information about the fate of their representatives and those of AANES: "There is some information that our representatives have been handed over to others, that they are investigating them and that this information raises our concerns."

Sama Baghdash noted that policy adopted by the Kurdistan Democratic Party "serves the designs of the Turkish occupying state, which is striving to eliminate the Kurdish people and occupy Kurdistan, and which is aimed at creating intra Kurdish fighting, after receiving hard blows by Peoples' Democratic Party, the HPG.

From a legal point of view, lawyer Attiya Youssef stressed that diplomatic and political representatives in any country enjoy diplomatic immunity and could not be arrested. She explained: "There are some narrow cases in which official representatives may be arrested while committing a criminal offence, and prior to the arrest they must report to their official authorities."

Attiya Yusuf stressed the need for the Kurdistan Regional Government to explain the reasons behind abduction of representatives of the AANES and the Democratic Union Party by the Kurdistan Democratic Party: "they have been kidnapped more than a month, suppose they wre arrested as a result of a criminal offence, at first the Autonomous Administration must be informed and then arrested, and put under investigation them immediately."

Attiya Yusuf stressed the need for AANES to initiate legal proceedings against the KRG in order to find out the fate of their abducted representatives: "If their representatives are subject to arbitrary detention, the Autonomous Administration and the abducted representatives have the right to claim compensation."

T/S

ANHA