Kurds in the UK Protested Outside Italian Embassy Over Treatment of Mullah Krekar
KurdFile – London
Kurds in the United Kingdom gathered outside the Italian Embassy in London to demand improved prison conditions and stronger protections for Najmaddin Faraj Ahmad widely known as Mullah Krekar who is currently detained by Italian authorities.
Protesters say Krekar, 69, is being subjected to “inhumane” treatment in prison.
Krekar, an Iraqi Kurdish cleric, first arrived in Norway as a refugee in 1991. In 2020, he was extradited from Norway to Italy, where an Italian court sentenced him to 12 years in prison on terror-related charges. Krekar has rejected the accusations.
Walid Faraj Ahmed, Krekar’s brother, told The Public that Kurds in the UK will hold a peaceful demonstration to draw attention to what he describes as “bad treatment” his brother is facing in Italy.
According to Ahmed, Krekar suffers from chronic medical conditions including diabetes and high blood pressure. He says Italian authorities have recently limited his access to medication and that Krekar’s cell remains cold, with heating provided only five hours per day.
He added that Krekar has been denied access to an Italian-language interpreter, despite not speaking the language, and that his lawyer has not been able to visit him for the past 11 months.
Ahmed further claimed that prison officials recently confiscated all of Krekar’s handwritten notes and Arabic-language books including a Quran he was working to interpret. He said this has had a significant psychological impact on his brother.
“We want the protest to be peaceful, to create a positive environment that encourages Italian authorities to ease the pressure on my brother,” Ahmed said. He noted that the family has contacted Iraqi lawmakers, who have in turn reached out to Italian officials and are awaiting a response.
Italian authorities have accused Krekar of serving as the “spiritual leader” of the Rawti Shax extremist network, dismantled by security forces in 2015. Krekar’s Norwegian lawyer, Brynjar Meling, previously stated that his client rejects any link to extremist groups.
Meling said Krekar’s goal is to return to Iraqi Kurdistan after his sentence and establish a political party.
Despite decades in Norway and being acquitted in several earlier cases, Krekar does not have Norwegian citizenship, unlike his wife and children.
Uncertain Future After Release
Ahmed noted that Krekar has about two years and seven months left on his sentence. However, Norwegian authorities have informed his legal team that he cannot return to Norway after his release. While Krekar is willing to return to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, the KRG has not clarified whether he will be allowed entry.
Krekar was born in Sulaymaniyah into a Sunni Kurdish religious family. As a young man he was influenced by the Muslim Brotherhood. During the Iran-Iraq War he fled to Iran and later Pakistan, where he earned a master’s degree in Islamic sciences before returning to the Kurdistan Region after the 1991 uprising.
His refugee status in Norway was revoked in 2002 after he made extended visits back to Iraq. He was later detained in the Netherlands after being refused entry to Iran.
Krekar became a leading figure in the Islamic Movement of Kurdistan (IMK), founded in 1987 . IMK’s internal splits eventually led to the formation of Ansar al-Islam, a group labeled a terrorist organization by the United States. Ansar al-Islam operated in the Hawraman region and enforced a strict interpretation of Islamic law until its 2003 defeat by US and PUK forces.
Krekar has denied accusations of involvement in killings attributed to the group. However, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) has indicated it intends to pursue legal action against him if he returns to Iraq, where he could face the death penalty.
London event was peaceful, hundreds of Kurds attended but none of political organisations such as Dakok for Rights and freedom, Regay Azadi Organisation and 17Shubt published about this event or case.
