« My name is Gulala Sidiq, I am 43 years old and I am from Suleimani, a city of Iraqi Kurdistan. I spent all my life here. I am married but I don’t have children. I am working in a bank.

I started to work in politics in 2009 with the birth of Goran’s movement. I presented myself twice to the elections to represent my city in 2014 and 2018 but I didn’t win. The elections were rigged. When they announced the results, there were absolutely no votes for me, not even mine or any from my family! The government deleted everything. In Suleimani PUK (Patriotic Union of Kurdistan) controls everything, in Erbil it’s the PDK (Party Democratic of Kurdistan).

I think if I had the possibility to be elected, I could help people. I want to consider the humanitarian needs of people from Kurdistan, something that our government isn’t doing. This government is only working in corruption. Currently, they are not paying the salaries, the politicians are keeping the money for themselves. The people are desperate so they join political parties because it’s where the money is. When you’re a member of a party, it supports you financially. The parties are basically buying members. Anyone who isn’t is a party is left by himself, without a salary or any support.
The system doesn't allow any form of equality between the people. Some are victims, some have power. It’s not just about money, it’s about anything in life: justice, consideration, freedom… even healthcare: The different parties have hospitals just for their own members.

We all think about the European dream. We see it on the TV, on the internet, we hear stories from friends and relatives. Here we don’t have a good electrical system, the possibilities for educations are very limited, and more than anything, we don’t have laws. If someone from an important party kills someone else, he will never be arrested, he will never have any problem. There is no justice. In Europe, the law is equal for everyone.
If you have any problems with someone from a party, maybe just a car accident or anything, you can do nothing. They have the power so it is your fault (you are Powerless). No law will support you (as a victim). In 2016, I was a part of a demonstration against the government because we didn’t receive our salaries and the government burned my car.

When I was a child I grow up during the war between Iraq and Iran, after this, the two mains parties were fighting inside Kurdistan (PUK and PDK). Then in 2003, we had the fight against Saddam Hussein. It’s a constant war between Arabs and Kurds, then Kurds and Kurds. If they aren’t fighting with weapons they are fighting in the media, on the television, putting pressure on each other. Also by this way, they are putting pressure on all the people. Currently, in Suleimani - July 2021- two members of the PUK, two cousins, are fighting against each other for a divergence of ideas, because of this, no one is safe as there is no law and no justice. Anyone with the power can do anything to impose his ideas on the public. »

« My name is Bahiden Mahmod and I am 64 years old. I am a painter and an art teacher. I am married and I have 5 children. I am from Suleimani, in Iraqi Kurdistan. I have always lived here.
My wife and my children are living in Germany. I have never been there but I am waiting to join them. They left four years ago. They crossed the border with Turkey illegally, then they crossed the sea to Italy on a plastic boat. They spent five days in the sea. I was worrying so much about them but I had to stay here and make money that would pay the smugglers who would take them to Europe. It took some time for them to reach Germany and settle down, so I stayed in Kurdistan, working to earn the money I send. I didn’t see them for four years, when they left my younger child was 12. My wife finally got the papers for two of my daughters, so now they are starting administrative procedures so I can join them.

I like everything in my country, I love to live here. Before 2014, I had a good situation, a good salary and I could support my family but after a time, the economic situation got very bad and the Kurdish government reduced the salaries. My salary became much lower and we couldn’t have a decent life here anymore. We sold our house and we decided that my wife should go with our children.

I think I have many abilities that I could develop much more in Europe, we hear about the « European dream » where everything looks possible. In Kurdistan even a normal life for your family is impossible because even you’re working, sometimes you are not being paid.
The government isn’t good. I am glad we gained independence but during Saddam’s time we had laws, nowadays there is no justice, nothing’s controlled, nothing’s fair.

My wife and I used to be involved in politics. For 12 years, we have been members of the Democratic Solution of Kurdistan Party which is a branch of the PKK (The Kurdistan Workers' Party). We were doing many public activities to promote democracy and the freedom of Kurdistan. I was a part of the leadership board, fighting for our rights since the beginning when we established this party in 1991.
One of our fights was about the situation of women. We saw many improvements for women’s freedom. Before they weren’t considered as equals of men but things improved and women obtained many rights. We had many hopes and some people are continuing our work but when your country is without justice, with a government who doesn’t care about the needs and the voices of the people, the situation cannot improve. »

« My name is Jharad Ahmad Karam, I am 51 years old. I am working in a building construction company in Suleimani. I was born there. I am not married.

I have spent 14 years of my life in Iran. I arrived there in 1987, then came back to Suleimani in 1991. Then, I left again until 2007. I was a Peshmerga soldier with the UK and I couldn’t go back to Iraq. I spent those years fighting in the mountains. Saddam Hussein’s regime was controlling all of Iraq, even Kurdistan. The whole country was a dictatorship; we had no freedom of expression and no freedom in general. That’s why I choose to go to the mountains and join the Peshmerga. I have been fighting for five years.
I have been fighting for my country, I had hoped things would get better and we could have a beautiful life here. Kurdistan is a very nice region, where you can enjoy life, enjoy nature, but the problems are in the system. The system fails people by affecting every part of your daily life and pushes you into leaving.
The political and social systems in Kurdistan work like the mafia. The people with power are trying to get everything for themselves and give nothing to the people. They are trading with their rights and freedom. The ones who can afford it will have a good place in all stages of life. The other ones will not be able to have anything.

The hopes for the future are so thin, many people who have graduated are jobless because they don’t have a good social position or relations. ( contacts in the industry?)
I surprise myself sometimes by thinking that before, the Iraqi regime was a dictatorship, yes, but at least we had a system. If you were working you had a salary every month. If you had a problem you had justice. In Kurdistan we have no money and no justice, what can you do with your life without these things?

I have been thinking about leaving for Europe since I was 16, and I never stopped thinking about it. I tried three times but I never succeeded. I tried to go from Iran, and walk across the northern border to Turkey, but the police caught me. I still want to leave. In Europe, I hope I can find freedom and human rights. Over there, they respect human beings. I am just waiting for the best time to go.
Three of my brothers are in Europe, one in Greece and two in the UK. I know one of them has a good situation but it’s very complicated for the other two. I think I can make a difference. I have determination, I want to work, I already have contacts and plans in different countries. I know you’re not guaranteed to get the life of your dreams there, but one lucky person succeeding, out of three is already a better chance than staying here with no hope. »

« My name is Ashti Jamil Shwkr, I am married and I have 5 children; 4 boys and a girl. I studied until high school but I didn’t finish. I am a journalist working on subjects concerning women, and I am a member of a journalist syndicate in Halabja. Since 2000, I have worked as a journalist for magazines and newspapers, doing translation and management in an organization for the construction of the future of women in Kurdistan.

Adila Khan, a woman, was the first mayor of Halabja and Sharazur (both cities in South Kurdistan). Until now we have only had male mayors. The new mayor in Halabja is currently a woman, this is very symbolic for me, showing that the interests and the consideration of women in politics has evolved a lot in Halabja and Kurdistan.
However, there are many problems in the political field of Iraqi Kurdistan. The political area doesn’t concern only the government, politics is mixed in with daily life. The different political parties possess the shops and the public places, nothing is in the hands of poor people. If you want to have the choice, you need to be in a political party. Especially in Halabja, we can feel it, the corruption in politics doesn’t allow the city to develop. The political system in all our country is very bad. Politics should serve society but in Iraqi Kurdistan, politics is made to favour the interests of the political authorities only. The people understand this and don’t believe in politics anymore. They don’t vote and the only people who still do, have been paid for it or forced to one way or another.
The economic system is also an area of the political field as the government is paying most of the salaries. We never know if we will have the money we have been working for. This is very complicated when you have a family, you never know if you will have the money to take care of your children.
When I was young, I was a journalist, but you know, it’s complicated to be a journalist here because you cannot report everything you want if you don’t have the support. I worked in a magazine for a while but when the Coronavirus epidemic came, along with it a financial crisis, the government stopped paying salaries, so we stopped it.

I left this country twice before, both times because of wars. The houses and the cities were destroyed by the regime of Saddam Hussein, so I had to go with my family to Iran as refugees. I never wanted to leave. I am Kurdish, this country is where I belong but I understand why people are leaving; they are looking for human consideration. One of my sons tried to leave to go abroad many times, hoping to build a better life for his family with decent conditions.»

« My name is Erfan, I am 43 years old and I am from Halabja in Iraqi Kurdistan. I am married and I have three children. I am an English teacher.

Politics affects every part of life in Kurdistan. If you work in a shop, if you work in the education area, it doesn’t matter what you do, the political world affects you. Most of the people in Iraqi Kurdistan are employees of the government, so their salaries depend on it.
In 2014, ISIS (Daesh) took control of Iraq and Kurdistan up until 2019. At this time, the situation was bad and we had financial problems. The government stopped paying salaries to the people. Then after this, we had a new financial crisis because of COVID-19. The situation didn’t return to normal. Last year, over 12 months, we only received pay for five of those months. This year, we received our salaries every month so far but each month, 21% was missing and we never received any explanation from the government.
As a teacher, I saw many students leave the university because of financial problems.

The fact is that, even if the government pretends to be democratic in Kurdistan, the candidates and the parties are just buying their positions. The government isn’t elected by the people. Sometimes you’re talking with your friends and you see many people voted for a candidate, then when you see the results there are absolutely no votes for the person we all voted for. No one here believes in the government and the democratic system in Kurdistan.
In Kurdistan, we have many problems with electricity and water, the government never fixes them and keeps the taxpayers money for themselves.

I was born in 1978, at this time the tensions were high between the Peshmerga and the Iraqi government. In 1981, a war between Iraq and Iran took place which lasted for 8 years. At this time I was a child going to school. Sometimes, the city was bombarded and we had to leave the classes to go to the shelter. In 1988, a chemical attack happened in Halabja and 5000 people were killed. All the people living in Halabja had relatives killed or badly hurt at this time.

In 1991, the Kurdish people started to demonstrate against Saddam Hussein’s regime, it was a complicated time. After that, the Kurdish government was created in 1992. We thought things would get better but once we eventually got some more freedom, an internal war started between the different factions in Kurdistan, the PUK and PDK (1993-1997). Since then, our country has continually been in a bad situation.

During the inner war in Kurdistan, a lot of young people left the country. After this time, the situation got better. Financially the country was fine, people could find work, the government was creating a lot of employment. But now, as a teacher, I see students who graduated as teachers back in 2012, who have never found a job with the ministry of education because the government isn’t supporting the area anymore. There is no work. That’s one of the reasons why people want to leave. They think in Europe they will be able to work because they are young, they have the qualifications, they want to do something with their lives.
Before the people used to leave because they were looking for safety, now they are leaving for economical and ideological reasons because they want to have a life, they want to have rights and be respected. »