Barzani, Masrour

(1969- )

   Masrour Barzani is the eldest son of Massoud Barzani, the president of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).

   He completed his high school education in Iran and then spent time in Great Britain perfecting his English. Subsequently, he earned a B.A. degree in International Studies from the American University in Washington, D.C., where he was known for his studiousness. In 1998, he returned to Kurdistan and was elected by the KDP's 12th Congress to its Central Committee and Politburo.

   Currently, he is the overall chief of KRG intelligence. As such, Masrour Barzani is the director both of Parastin (Protection), the KDP's intelligence arm, and Asayesh (Security), the KRG's coun-terterrorism and internal security directorate, which has executive power. Despite his success in protecting the KRG's security, there have been accusations of human rights violations. For example, under Barzani's leadership, Parastin kidnapped Kamal Said Qadir, an Austrian citizen of Kurdish descent, in 2005 and allegedly tortured him for accusing the Barzani family of corruption. Qadir was released only after an international campaign on his behalf. Barzani has also reportedly sought U.S. citizenship. He is married and has two children. Barzani is fluent in Kurdish, Persian, and English and understands Arabic. Along with his cousin, Nechirvan Idris Bar-zani, Masrour Barzani should be considered a leading candidate for eventual leadership of the KRG.