ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Sunday criticized Kurdish security forces for their arrest of protestors earlier in August, claiming the arrests were aimed at silencing and deterring demonstrations in the Kurdistan Region.
Protestors, mainly supporters of the New Generation political party, took to the streets in Sulaimani and several other cities on August 5 and 6 following calls from leader Shaswar Abdulwahid for anti-government protests across the Kurdistan Region.
HRW slammed the measures that internal security forces (Asayish) took to suppress the protests, blaming authorities for using "a range of defamation and incitement legal provisions against critics, including journalists, activists, and other dissenting voices."
"Using arbitrary repression to quell protests and intimidate activists and journalists is a recipe for spreading further grievance among KRI [Kurdistan Region of Iraq] residents," said Adam Coogle, deputy Middle East director at HRW, adding that a better approach to addressing demonstrations is respecting the basic rights to peaceful protest.
The protests resulted in the arrests of dozens of politicians, journalists, and MPs, after security forces used tear gas to crush the protests. The New Generation party claimed that over 40 of its members, including seven MPs, were arrested.
Rahman Gharib, head of Metro Center for defending journalists, told HRW that it "had identified 78 rights violations by security forces against 60 journalists and media outlets during the arrests," and said that at least 26 journalists were detained during the demonstrations.
"It has become clear to us that the security forces are targeting journalists during protests rather than protecting them," Gharib said, claiming that authorities are afraid of journalists as they reveal their "illegal behavior."
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) last year labeled HRW's criticism of its treatment of protestors and journalists as misrepresentative, with KRG Coordinator for International Advocacy Dindar Zebari claiming that HRW has "generalized" the situation in the Region despite being given explanations for protesting by the government.
"We ask the HRW – if they are going to accuse the KRG, we want them to be specific and not to generalize. We have opened our doors to the HRW – in Iraq they do not have the freedom to come and go like they do here," Zebari said at the time.
Rudaw English has reached out to Zebari for comment on HRW's latest remarks, but was told his office was currently investigating the report.
International diplomatic missions, including the US Embassy in Baghdad, voiced concerns over the protests in Sulaimani. The embassy called for "universal human rights and freedoms" to be protected, which include the right to peaceful assembly, and urged Kurdistan Region authorities to review their actions in dealing with the demonstrations.
The use of tear gas, water cannons, rubber bullets, and even live ammunition by security forces to disperse protestors is not an uncommon occurrence in the Kurdistan Region.
Thousands of students took to the streets across the Kurdistan Region in November demanding restoration of a living allowance. The students were confronted by security forces and were dispersed with tear gas and water cannons.
The Kurdistan Region's law for organizing protests requires written permission from the interior minister or the local administrative unit. Protesting without permission can lead to criminal charges.
Amnesty International in June 2021 published a public statement on what they called the "ongoing crackdown of protests by way of arbitrary arrests and harassment" in the Kurdistan Region.
The statement concluded that "the KRG authorities do not have an obligation to uphold basic human rights of freedom of expression, assembly, and press freedom," and called on authorities in the Kurdistan Region to "put an end to their ongoing crackdown of protests by way of arbitrary arrests and harassment."
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