Citizens of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq continued their popular demonstrations in December which called for the overthrow of the government, a solution to the financial crisis, and the elimination of rampant corruption. The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) has documented violations related to the demonstrations in the second week of December, including many on International Human Rights Day, marked worldwide on 10 December.

On 09 December 2020, after demonstrations were renewed in various districts and sub-districts of Sulaymaniyah Governorate, the regional authorities continued to arrest civil society activists and peaceful demonstrators in the region’s three Governorates – Erbil, Dohuk and Sulaymaniyah. As of today, a number of activists and protesters are still in prison.

Summary of the most important events on 09 December 2020:

– In Qaladiza district, popular demonstrations demanded the overthrow of the government, and there was a clash between some demonstrators with the security forces. Also, for the first time, a group of Peshmerga (Kurdish military forces) joined the ranks of the youth demonstrating against the regional government.

– The demonstrators in Dokan district of Sulaymaniyah Governorate blocked the main Dokan road and prevented the passage of cars and security forces.

– Demonstrations were renewed for the second day in a row in Said Sadiq district.

– Security forces used tear gas in Rania district to disperse the demonstrators, who included some members of the Peshmerga and security forces, from the district itself, and clashes occurred.

– Demonstrations were renewed in the Piramagrun sub-district and the demonstrators demanded the government be overthrown, among other demands.

– The mayor of Penjwin district participated in demonstrations and was among the ranks of those who gathered on the main street of the city (top photo on the left).

– After a group of young civil society activists in the Shiladze sub-district of Amadiya district in Dohuk Governorate called for mass demonstrations on 08 December 2020, the security forces raided their homes and beat them with various means and in front of their families’ eyes, before they were arrested and transferred to the prisons of the security forces.

–  Among those arrested were Mahmoud Rikani (photo on the right), Yousif Rikani (photo in the middle), Kovan Rikani (photo on the left) and others whose names were not disclosed by the security forces.

– Despite the arrests, the demonstration took place after 4 p.m. on 09 December 2020, in the main street of the sub-district in front of the headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party and protesters chanted the words “freedom … freedom” in the face of the military and security forces present, who then dispersed the demonstration by force (top photo on the right).

– Lawyer and civil society activist Pashtiwan Aziz (photo on the left) was arrested by the security forces in Hajiawa sub-district of Rania district in Sulaymaniyah Governorate, on charges of participating in the demonstrations.

– On 09 December 2020, the security forces arrested the journalist Karzan Tariq (photo on the right), a correspondent for the Kurdish satellite channel NRT. He was released on 12 December 2020, after his equipment was confiscated.

Summary of events, demonstrations and arrests during the period from 10 to 14 December 2020:

 – On 10 December 2020, a group of young activists (photo on the left) were arrested in Qasre sub-district of Choman district in Erbil Governorate by the security forces on charges of preparing to hold a mass demonstration in support of the demonstrations in Sulaymaniyah. They were arrested and transferred to the Asayish forces (Internal Security) in Soran district for the purpose of imprisoning them, but local residents and the families of the detainees pressured them to release the detainees on 13 December 20202.      

– On 10 December 2020 at night, the security forces arrested Mullah Taher Kalbashi (photo on the right), the imam of the Grand Mosque in the Piramagrun sub-district of Sulaymaniyah Governorate, on charges of calling for popular demonstrations and urging people, including young people, to participate, but under pressure from the angry and masses in the city, he was released the following day, 11 December 2020.

– On 10 December 2020, the security forces arrested civil society activist Yassin Abdullah (photo on the left), coordinator of demonstrations in the city of Rania, and have not released him so far.

– On 10 December 2020, the security forces in the Shiladzi sub-district arrested several young activists on charges of planning to hold demonstrations on the next day, 11 December. Among them was Hussain Rikani (photo on the right), the owner of the famous café, who wrote on the door “No spies may enter the café”.

– Late on the night of 10 December 2020, the security forces arrested a group of coordinators and members of the Opposition Voices Conference in Sulaymaniyah Governorate, which was formed to lead the popular demonstrations. Those detained were Abdullah Mulla Nouri (photo on the left), a former member of Kurdistan Parliament, Sherko Hama Amin (photo in the center), a former member of Kurdistan Parliament, and Aziz Raouf (photo on the right), a civil activist and member of the Opposition Voices Conference. They were released on 14 December 2020.

– Also, two young demonstrators, Nechirvan Rikani (photo on the left) and Skvan Rikani (photo on the right), were arrested for announcing that demonstrations would take place in Shiladze, and the security authorities have not released them yet.

– At noon on 11 December 2020, a young peaceful demonstrator Mizan Mohammed (photo on the left), was killed by bullets fired by unidentified shooters during the demonstrations in Kifri, in the Kifri district in front of the Kurdish parties’ headquarters.

– On 11 December 2020, the team of the Kurdish satellite channel Payam was arrested while covering the popular demonstrations in the Kifri district. Among the detainees was the journalist Hawar Mohammed (photo on the right), but they released them after a few hours of arrest, but they seized their belongings including video cameras, tapes and personal phones.

– On 11 December 2020, the security forces arrested dozens of activists and young demonstrators in the city of Sulaymaniyah and took them to Kani Goma prison in the same city.

– On 12 December 2020, the security forces arrested journalist Bahiz Hussain (photo on the left) from the Gali Kurdistan satellite channel in Dohuk, and released him several hours later.

– On 12 December 2020, the security forces arrested a civil society activist and journalist, Zuzik Chomani (photo on the right), in the Qasre sub-district of Erbil Governorate, after he posted a comment on his Facebook page about the arrest of young men in Qasre by the security forces on charges of holding demonstrations, and after two days in prison he was released on 14 December 2020.

ـــ On 12 December 2020, the security forces in the city of Erbil arrested a young civil society activist, Havres Shawan, a student at the Faculty of Law, and took him to an unknown destination. He was previously arrested last year while presenting his final exams on charges of publishing criticism of the government, then he was released. Now he is being arrested again for the same reason, which is for publishing comments and articles critical of the bad conditions in the region.

– On 13 December 2020, journalist Dalia Kamal (photo on the left) from Kurdistan 24 TV channel (K24) was arrested on Mawlawi Street in Sulaymaniyah city while she was carrying out her media duties, and she was released hours after her arrest.

– On 13 December 2020, the Ministry of Culture of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) sent an official letter No. (1154) to Payam satellite channel and threatened to stop the channel from broadcasting if it continued to broadcast and cover popular demonstrations in the Kurdistan Region. The Sepideh satellite channel also received an official letter No. (1156), on the same date, which warned the channel that it would be prevented from broadcasting if it continues to cover events and demonstrations in the region.

– On 13 December 2020, security forces in Shiladze, Dohuk Governorate arrested a young civil society activist, Amjad Yousif Rikani (photo on the right),and took him to an unknown destination.

– On 17 December 2020, Akar Jabbar, a young peaceful demonstrator, aged only 17 years, passed away. He was a student in the third year of intermediate level, who was injured by bullets fired by unidentified shooters during the demonstrations in the district of Said Sadiq on 08 December 2020, and died of his wounds in the emergency hospital in Sulaymaniyah.  

Reaction by the authorities

On 09 December, GCHR published a joint statement calling on the Iraqi government to investigate the detention of activists and others since the start of the 2019 protests and to free all those held arbitrarily for peaceful protests, including in Iraqi Kurdistan, ahead of International Human Rights Day, signed by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, FIDH, the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and three Iraqi NGOs – the Iraqi Network for Social Media (INSM), Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights (IOHR) and Metro Center for Journalists’ Rights.

The statement received a quick response two days later from the Office of KRG’s Coordinator for International Advocacy, which they entitled “KRG Acknowledges Legitimate Demands of Civil Servants and Retains the Right to Protect the Protesters from Chaos and Violence”.  The letter states, “The piece primarily concerns the Federal Authorities, while attributing several allegations including the ‘curtailing’ [of] peaceful assembly and freedom of speech, amid ongoing protests in the Kurdistan Region that drastically yielded towards violence and vandalism.” The letter concludes, “KRG proudly flourished with the preservation and promotion of values indispensable for a decent civil life. The KRG continues to support the right to protest for all citizens in the region as long as a local government entity is notified of the event. Security forces are deployed to ensure the safety of all citizens and activists. Meanwhile, safety of the demonstrators and the prevention of chaos are prime concerns to which local administrations of KRG feel committed to.”

Recommendations:

GCHR denounces in the strongest terms the attacks on demonstrators and journalists in the Kurdistan region. The Kurdistan Regional Government should order the security forces to refrain from using lethal force against demonstrations and immediately and unconditionally release all those detained in violation of their right to assembly. The authorities must fulfill their constitutional obligations not to violate public freedoms, including freedom of peaceful assembly, freedom of expression, and freedom of the press. GCHR condemns violence committed by all parties, noting that the protests will achieve their goals only by peaceful means.