Peregraf
Shaswar Abdulwahid Qadir, leader of the New Generation Movement (NGM), was arrested in Sulaymaniyah on Tuesday night. The arrest was carried out based on a legal complaint and a judge’s order.
A source told Peregraf that a court had sentenced Qadir in absentia to six months in prison, and police detained him to serve the sentence. According to the source, the verdict was issued by Sulaymaniyah’s Second Court on August 3, 2025, in connection with a complaint filed in 2019. Qadir had been investigated in that case and detained for two weeks during the investigation period. The source declined to provide further details about the case or the complainant.
Following the arrest, NGM media accused the PUK of politically targeting Qadir. In a statement, the party alleged that the arrest amounted to a “kidnapping” and came shortly after Qadir had publicly warned of an “important position” and possible actions by the the New Generation Movement if the government failed to resolve the public salary issue this week.
“As the NGM faction in the Kurdistan Parliament, we condemn the behavior of the leaders of the PUK and declare to everyone that the protection of the life of the leader of the the New Generation Movement is the responsibility of Bafel Talabani and Qubad Talabani,” the statement read.