Guns as Gifts: The Rise of Hersha Rash and the Shame of Governance in Kurdistan
In today’s Kurdistan Region, power isn’t shown through justice or law it’s shown through the reckless distribution of guns by people like Hersha Rash, a man whose influence has grown not because of public service or leadership, but because of blind loyalty to the ruling party.
Hersha Rash, whose real name is Hamza, is the Deputy Director of Security in Erbil. He’s responsible for managing the movements of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP)’s security forces known as Asayish. But more and more, his actions seem to have little to do with protecting people and everything to do with maintaining power through fear and favoritism.
A recent viral video shows him handing over a gun. First to a middleman, and then to a young man standing beside him. This isn’t some official handover it’s a public display of control. According to Kurdfile Media, the man who received the gun is Jassim, known locally as Jassim Awene, from the Makhmur area. He has no current role in the government or security forces. He’s a retired officer, and the weapon appears to have been gifted to his son or a relative.
Why is a high-ranking official handing out weapons to private citizens? What law allows this? In any democratic system, this would raise alarms but in Kurdistan, it’s treated as normal.
This isn’t generosity. This is control. In authoritarian systems, giving someone a gun is a way to buy their loyalty. It says: “Be ready when I call. Obey without question.”
What’s worse is how these actions are celebrated. Hersha Rash is praised in tribal songs. He’s called a “commander” and treated like a hero, despite never earning that status through any real democratic process. The praise is part of a larger plan to make people admire fear, to see party loyalty as strength, and to ignore justice.
Hersah Rash was awarded the Barzani Medal of Honor by Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) President Massoud Barzani.
Meanwhile, ordinary people live under constant threat. Murders and kidnappings happen regularly. Security forces should be working to protect the public, but instead, they act like party loyalists, treating police powers like personal property.
Hersha Rash is the perfect example of what’s gone wrong in the Kurdistan Region. He doesn’t represent safety or law he represents the collapse of public trust. When weapons become tools of influence and leaders become above the law, the people lose.
This isn’t just a shame it’s a betrayal of everything that could have made Kurdistan fair, safe, and just. Right now, the region is led by men who thrive on fear, and they have no interest in changing that.
