Nawshirwan Mustafa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nawshirwan Mustafa
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Nawshirwan Mustafa
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| General coordinator of the Movement for Change (Gorran) | |
| In office 1 April 2009 – 19 May 2017 |
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| Succeeded by | Omar Said Ali |
| Deputy Secretary General of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan | |
| In office 1 November 1976 – 30 November 2006 |
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| Preceded by | Kosrat Rasul Ali |
| Komala | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 22 December 1944 Sulaymaniyah, Kingdom of Iraq |
| Died | 19 May 2017 (aged 72) Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Region, Iraq |
| Citizenship | Iraq & UK |
| Nationality | Kurdish |
| Political party | Movement for Change |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Historian, Author, Scholar, Revolutionary, Peshmerga (Guerilla) Commander |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Patriotic Union of Kurdistan |
| Branch/service | Peshmerga |
| Battles/wars | Iran-Iraq war
Kurdish–Turkish conflict
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Nawshirwan Mustafa (born December 22, 1944 – died May 19, 2017) was an important Iraqi Kurdish politician. He was the main leader of the Movement for Change (Gorran) and led the opposition in the Kurdistan Region. He held this role from April 1, 2009, until he passed away on May 19, 2017.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Nawshirwan Mustafa was born on December 22, 1944, in the old part of Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. His family, the Mustafa Émin Khider family, had lived in Sulaymaniyah since the city was founded in 1784. Unlike many other Kurdish leaders who came from villages and tribes, Nawshirwan grew up in a city. He became known for believing that leaders should be chosen by the people, not just because of their family.
He went to the Royal King Faisal school in Sulaymaniyah. He also learned other languages from private teachers when he was young. Later, he studied political science at Baghdad University and international law at Vienna University. He could speak German, English, Arabic, and Persian.
Political and Military Career
Joining the Kurdistan Democratic Party
Nawshirwan Mustafa joined the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in 1960. He was very active in the youth part of the party. He disagreed with some of the party's leaders and left the KDP before it split. He did not like that the party leadership was passed down through families.
Starting Razgari Magazine
In 1968, Mustafa started a magazine called Razgari. This magazine shared the ideas of people who wanted more freedom for Kurds.
Founding Komala Ranjdaran
In 1969, Mustafa founded a secret group called Komalai Ranjdaran. This group was also known as the Revolutionary Organization of Toilers of Kurdistan. He was its Secretary General until it joined the PUK in 1992. The group was inspired by ideas about fairness and equality for workers. Because of his political activities, Mustafa had to leave Iraq and live in Austria for a while.
Leading the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
The PUK was made up of three different groups. Mustafa's Komala Randjaran was one of the most important of these groups.
From the late 1970s to the early 1990s, Mustafa was a top commander of the Peshmerga forces. These forces fought against the Iraqi army and government. After the Peshmerga caused problems for the Iraqi army, the Iraqi government used dangerous chemical weapons. This was part of a terrible campaign called the Anfal Campaign, which harmed many Kurdish civilians.
In 1988, Mustafa and other PUK leaders decided to move their forces to the Iranian border. They hoped this would make the Iraqi government stop the Anfal Campaign. For the next three years, Mustafa worked to reorganize the Peshmerga forces. He also created secret groups in major Iraqi Kurdish cities like Sulaymaniyah and Erbil. During this time, he planned for a big uprising.
In the spring of 1991, Mustafa put his plan into action. On March 5, the town of Rania was freed from Iraqi forces. Mustafa led this operation, which resulted in freeing all the major cities. The city of Kirkuk was freed on March 21, 1991. Nawshirwan Mustafa is known as the person who planned this uprising. It led to the Kurdistan Region becoming an autonomous (self-governing) area in Northern Iraq.
Media and Communication
Nawshirwan Mustafa always supported free media in the region. He believed that Iraq and Kurdistan needed new laws for news that respected human rights.
In March 2007, Mustafa started the Wusha Corporation in Sulaymaniyah. He said he created this large media group to try and change Kurdish politics from the outside. The Wusha Corporation included the Kurdish News Network (a TV news channel), Rozhnama (a weekly newspaper), Sbeiy.com (a news website), and Dangi Gorran (a Kurdish-Arabic radio station).
Founding the Movement for Change
Mustafa founded the Gorran (Movement for Change) in 2009. He was its leader until 2017. In 2011, Mustafa called for new elections and for changes in how the Kurdistan regional government worked. He wanted the armed forces to be separate from politics.
Standing Against Family Rule
Nawshirwan Mustafa became known for being a republican. This means he was against political power being passed down through families. He challenged both the Barzani and Talabani families, who were very powerful. He believed they ran the Kurdistan Region like a family business. He said they gave power and wealth to their own family members and friends, leaving out other Kurds. Mustafa thought that the Barzanis and Talabanis were making themselves rich from Kurdistan's economy.
An Erbil court, which was controlled by the KDP, issued an arrest warrant for Mustafa. This happened after he tried to change the law about the KRG presidency through parliament. His party said these charges were politically motivated. The KDP also removed four of his ministers from the KRG government. The speaker of parliament was also stopped from entering Erbil. The KDP even closed Gorran's TV channel KNN in Erbil and Duhok.
In November 2011, Jalal Talabani tried to make peace with Mustafa. However, Mustafa's group said that Talabani should make peace with the people, not just with Gorran. They also said they had no personal problems with Talabani.
Death and Legacy
Nawshirwan Mustafa passed away in his hometown of Sulaymaniyah on May 19, 2017. He was buried the next day. It is believed he died from pneumonia.
Nawshirwan Mustafa's legacy is important because he fought for a different kind of politics in Kurdistan. He was against political parties being run like family businesses and against corruption.
