Diako Hussein is a journalist based in Erbil and correspondent for Standard Kurd news agency. On 05 February 2024, he was arbitrarily detained by Erbil security forces while preparing to cover a demonstration organised by the Kurdish Communist Party in front of the Council of Ministers. His employer described the arrest as a “kidnapping” due to the lack of a judicial warrant and the arbitrary nature of the detention. Hussein was held for over five hours and released without charge. This incident reflects a broader pattern of repression against journalists in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, where reporting on protests or criticising local authorities often leads to harassment and detention. The Metro Center for Defending Journalists’ Rights condemned the arrest and called for his immediate release.