Peregraf
The Kurdistan Region Security Agency (Sulaymaniyah Asayish) announced that the attack on journalist and activist Hemn Mamand in Sulaymaniyah was part of a conspiracy to assassinate him. Authorities confirmed that members of the team responsible have been arrested, while two suspects fled to Erbil province.
“The investigation revealed that the conspiracy was planned to assassinate activist and journalist Hemn Mamand,” Asayish said in a statement, adding that it will provide further details of the plot and information about the perpetrators to the public in the near future.
Mamand, a presenter at Sterk TV, was shot on Tuesday evening shortly after leaving a restaurant. According to his colleague Barham Latif, two men on a motorcycle opened fire on him before fleeing the scene. “The gunmen fired five shots. One bullet struck his arm, and shrapnel from another hit his abdomen,” Latif told the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Mamand underwent surgery at Shar Hospital, where doctors confirmed he is now in stable condition under medical supervision.
The attack has sparked widespread condemnation. CPJ called on Kurdish authorities to swiftly investigate the motive behind what it described as a targeted assassination attempt. “The targeted shooting of Mamand in the center of Sulaymaniyah appears to be an attempted assassination, and we are investigating whether it was connected with his political reporting,” said Sara Qudah, CPJ’s Middle East Regional Director. “Authorities must transparently investigate, hold the perpetrators accountable, and ensure that journalists are safe.”
Mamand had earlier hosted his talk show Sarinj – Comment on Sterk TV, where he discussed human rights and Turkey’s military operations in the Kurdistan Region. Hours before the shooting, he had posted on Facebook that he had “repeatedly asked” the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) for protection due to threats he received over his reporting and activism.
Sterk TV, where Mamand works, is affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been banned in Iraq since 2024 and is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU. The channel’s ties have heightened sensitivities amid ongoing Turkish military operations in the Kurdistan Region.
The Independent Commission for Human Rights in the Kurdistan Region condemned the shooting as “an attempt to restrict the voice of freedom and journalism in Sulaymaniyah.” A team from the Commission visited Mamand in hospital, urging authorities to quickly bring those responsible to justice.
Metro Center for Journalists’ Rights also confirmed the details of the attack. Its director, Diyari Mohammed, said Mamand was shot twice and remains in stable condition.
The incident adds to growing concerns over press freedom in the Kurdistan Region, where journalists face repeated intimidation, arbitrary detention, and physical assaults.