“Aziz Mohammed, the former leader of the Iraqi Communist Party, passed away on Wednesday afternoon, May 31, 2017,” Abu Karwan, politburo member of Kurdistan’s Communist Party and head of the Azadi Faction in Kurdistan’s parliament, told Rudaw.

Mohammed, a Kurd and veteran Peshmerga, was born on July 1, 1924, in Berkot. He came to Erbil in the beginning of 1940 and joined the Hewa Party. Six years later, he joined the Iraqi Communist Party in 1946.

Describing Mohammed as a “patriot and freedom fighter,” Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani sent his condolences to Mohammed’s family and the communist parties of Iraq and Kurdistan.

“The death of esteemed Aziz Mohammed, who was a campaigner and a reputed politician of Kurdistan and Iraq, is a sadness. On this sad occasion, I offer my deep condolences to Aziz Mohammed’s family, relatives, and all the supporters of his philosophy.”

Barzani said Mohammed had played a key role in fighting against dictatorship in Iraq and had worked long to build democracy in the country.

Mohammed was arrested in 1948 and remained in jail until the revolution of July 14, 1958, when a military coup overthrew the monarchy of King Faisal II and ended four decades of British domination in Iraq.

In 1964, Mohammed was elected leader of the Communist Party and remained in that position until 1993.

He also played a role in Kurdish liberation movements and participated in building democracy in Kurdistan after the 1991 uprising.

On June 10, 2015, Masoud Barzani conferred the Immortal Barzani Medal on Mohammed.

Expressing his sadness at Mohammed’s death, Kurdistan Region’s head of foreign relations, Falah Mustafa, praised the communist leader for his “humble life, serving values and principles.” [1]