ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Kurdish opposition leader Lahur Sheikh Jangi, former co-chair of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), has been sentenced to five years and three months in prison by a Sulaimani court, his lawyer confirmed to The New Region.

In a Sulaimani court session, Jangi was handed a five year and three month prison term while his brother Polad received a three year and six month sentence. Rebwar Hameed Haji Ghali, their associate, also received a two year term, Jangi’s lawyer said on Thursday.

The case stems from a violent power struggle within the PUK, one of the two main ruling parties in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Lahur, a former co-leader of the PUK and cousin of PUK leader Bafel Talabani and Kurdistan Region Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, was ousted from the party leadership in 2021. He later founded the opposition People’s Front party.

In August 2025, PUK-affiliated security forces moved to arrest him at his residence in the Lalezar Hotel in Sulaimani.

The operation, which involved tanks and drones, triggered hours of intense fighting in a residential area of the city. According to official data, two of Lahur’s aides and three members of the PUK security forces were killed. Conflicting reports, however, say the death toll was higher.

Lahur, Polad, and dozens of associates were detained. Twenty-seven people arrested in connection with the clashes remain in custody.

The hearing had been continuously delayed since the arrest of the opposition leader over a year ago, with Jangi’s lawyers demanding the legal proceedings be moved to Erbil for what they believe would be a more transparent and fair trial, while also decrying the reported human rights violations members of Jangi’s security team have been subjected to in prison.