Haji Ahmed community breaths the gas of destruction

Since February 2015 following the resumed drilling process, after several months of ceased works because of ISIS attacks on Kurdistan, Exxon Mobil began to realease huge amounts of gas and repeatedly preventing villagers of Haji Ahmed, Sartka, Allawa and Sorabani to enter and work in their fields in the time when their vines, fruit trees and fields need hightened attention. Most of the villagers have not received any compensations from the company in it's two years operations. 

On 15 March CPT observed and documented the very noisy gas exhaust, as well as witnessed its bad widely present smell.

On 17 March CPT visited kak Soran, the Head of Human Rights Committee of Kurdistan Parliament and delivered villagers report about the situation. Later that day Dr Sherko Jawdat, the Head of the Natural Resources Committee of the Kurdristan Parliament (who the villagers accompanied by CPT met on 24 February) tried to visit the oil rig but was prevented from entering by the company guards, and accompanied by kak Miro, CPT partner, took the very bad back side road to observe the fields, reported the situation to the Minister of Oil and Natural Resources, asking for a solution to the situation. The oil rig guard reported to CPT and to Dr. Sherko Jawdat that two of he guards fell ill thanks to the gas. 

On 19 March kak Miro was prevented again from entering his field. Exxon representative who refused the CPT request for a meeting on 15 March, contacted kak Miro on 19 March promising to meet the villagers after Newroz. On 19 March kak Miro reported to CPT that a Zeravani force member (provided by the KRG to protect the oil field) threatened kak Miro over phone and told him to not bring any members of the parliament to the site.