Widespread Crackdown in Sulaymaniyah to Prevent Salary Protests: Dozens Arrested, Journalists Targeted

Peregraf

Security forces in Sulaymaniyah, affiliated with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), have launched a sweeping crackdown to block planned demonstrations by teachers and civil servants demanding unpaid salaries. The operation, which began late Tuesday night, has resulted in the arrest of dozens of activists, educators, and journalists, drawing widespread condemnation from civil society groups and press freedom organizations.

Over the past 48 hours, security units detained at least 15 protest organizers—many of them teachers and civil servants—who had been preparing for a large-scale demonstration over delayed salary payments and worsening economic conditions. As of Thursday evening, none of those arrested had been released.

At the same time, Sulaymaniyah security forces targeted journalists attempting to cover the demonstrations. According to the Metro Center for the Protection of Journalists, 18 members of various media teams—including reporters, photographers, and drivers—were arrested while reporting, and released several hours later. The Center strongly condemned the detentions, calling them an illegal restriction on media freedom.

Prominent figures also came under pressure. On Wednesday morning, security forces detained Ali Hama Saleh, leader of the Halwest Movement (National Stance Movement), along with two senior board members—Dr. Ghalib Mohammed and Dr. Rebwar Karim—as well as former Iraqi MP Omar Gulpi. They were taken from inside the movement’s headquarters and released later the same day.

In a public statement, the Kurdistan Regional Security Agency – Sulaymaniyah Asayish defended the crackdown, claiming it was in response to a “conspiracy to disrupt the peace and stability” of the city. “They intended to use the demonstration as an opportunity to destabilize Sulaymaniyah and achieve political goals,” the agency said, without naming any specific parties or providing evidence. The agency also asserted that “the plot had nothing to do with the teachers.”

Separately, the Sulaymaniyah High Security Committee described the timing of the demonstrations as “inappropriate,” justifying the deployment of heavily armed units across the city and the prevention of any public gathering, particularly near education directorates.

Rights organizations and civil society groups have rejected the authorities’ justification and denounced the wave of arrests. The Metro Center called for the “immediate release of all detainees,” warning that the crackdown poses a serious threat to freedom of expression and assembly in the Kurdistan Region.

Public sector workers in the Kurdistan Region have staged repeated protests over the past year, demanding the regular disbursement of salaries and improvement of living standards. Despite these calls, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has failed to provide long-term solutions, fueling public frustration and increasing pressure on the authorities.

Observers view the latest crackdown as part of a wider pattern of suppression in the region, where the KRG has increasingly relied on security force intervention, anti-protest legislation, and arbitrary detention to silence dissent and prevent mass mobilization.