Dilawar Ali, a civil society activist and teacher in Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan, was among those arrested by security forces in civilian clothes on 25 June 2025 while protesting outside the Kurdistan National Stance Movement office. The protest aimed to demand overdue salaries and oppose corruption and mismanagement. Ali was detained along with several others, including Shahla Ali, Munira Abdullah, Nour Farqi, Zrian Ali, Najmuddin Mohammed, and Mohammed Rasool.  The arrest occurred without a judicial warrant and involved the use of violence. Ali was among several individuals detained that day, including Munira Abdullah, Shahla Ali, and Nour Farqi. On 26 June 2025, shortly before a planned demonstration began in Sulaymaniyah, security forces launched a widespread arrest campaign that included civil society activists, political activists, journalists, and media teams covering the events.