On the occassion of the 30th anniversary of Kurdish people's uprising against the dictatorship Ba'ath regime, PUK Co-leader Lahur Talabany extends congratulations to the people of Kurdistan Region.

Below is the letter of his congratulations:

The relatives of our esteemed martyrs,
Heroic Peshmerga,
People of Kurdistan,

I extend my congratulations to you on the 30th anniversary of the Uprising. Thirty years ago, on this sacred day, and from the green gate of Rapareen, decades of Arabization and discrimination by the blood thirsty Baath regime came to an end. In the Uprising, so much prevailed; light over darkness, freedom over yielding, neck over the nose, martyrs’ mothers over grief, and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan’s (PUK) followers over the enemy. The Uprising was the result of the blood of thousands of martyrs, the product of the new revolution and the crucial participation and support of the people, and the peaceful way of Mam Jalal for the people of Kurdistan. On this anniversary, we remain loyal to our remembrance but most importantly we must acknowledge that the people of Kurdistan’s livelihood do not depend solely on these remembrances, but rather that they need a more free and worthy life and better future. In these uncertain days, in which an oppressive opportunist and reckless minority is threatening our experience, the people want to know where the freedom, peace, democracy, human rights, and self-determination that the PUK is built upon, ends up.

What happens to the high political and social values of the PUK, the hopes of national liberation, the achievements of the Uprising that thousands sacrificed their life for? Who will protect and free our Kurdistan from occupation, greed, and monopoly of an unwanted authority? Today, thirty years after the Uprising, the people of Kurdistan want to be assured that the rule of law, freedom, job security, salaries and their livelihood are protected from a monopolist minority. The people of Kurdistan have the right to demand that our region not be sacrificed for personal conflicts, that the revival of our area not be given a veto because of political plans, that the government not be run by family interests or politically cons.

Edited by: PUKNOW