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ERBIL - Iraqi parliament's Kurdish Deputy Speaker Arif Tayfour said Vice-President Tariq al-Hashimi, who is being sued by Baghdad authorities for terror charges, should stop hiding and appear before court to defend himself.
Tayfour is the first hih-ranking Kurdish official to clearly call on al-Hashimi to stand the terror-related charges. Authorities in Kurdistan Region have been protecting al-Hashimi and refused Baghdad's demands to hand him over.
The criminal court in Baghdad has said the Sunni VP's guards had been involved in 150 armed attacks under the command of the Vice-President.
Hashimi has been in hiding in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region since December last year when an arrest warrant was issued against him. Hashimi has denied the charges and has called for his trial be held in Kurdistan Region or the mainly Sunni province Kirkuk on grounds that courts in Baghdad have been politicized by the Shiite-dominated authorities.
Tayfour told AKnews that "Tariq al-Hashimi insists that he is innocent.. If so, I believe that he should appear before court and prove his innocence against all the charges,"
"The best thing for him to do is to prove that he is not involved in the 150 armed attacks his guards have been charged for.. if he refuses to attend court then he will no doubt be put on trial in absentia in which case there is no way the court decision be in his favor"
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Tayfour is the first hih-ranking Kurdish official to clearly call on al-Hashimi to stand the terror-related charges. Authorities in Kurdistan Region have been protecting al-Hashimi and refused Baghdad's demands to hand him over.
The criminal court in Baghdad has said the Sunni VP's guards had been involved in 150 armed attacks under the command of the Vice-President.
Hashimi has been in hiding in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region since December last year when an arrest warrant was issued against him. Hashimi has denied the charges and has called for his trial be held in Kurdistan Region or the mainly Sunni province Kirkuk on grounds that courts in Baghdad have been politicized by the Shiite-dominated authorities.
Tayfour told AKnews that "Tariq al-Hashimi insists that he is innocent.. If so, I believe that he should appear before court and prove his innocence against all the charges,"
"The best thing for him to do is to prove that he is not involved in the 150 armed attacks his guards have been charged for.. if he refuses to attend court then he will no doubt be put on trial in absentia in which case there is no way the court decision be in his favor"
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
