European missions concerned over politicians, journalists arrested in Kurdistan Region protests

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Netherlands expressed concern over the arrests of politicians and journalists across the Kurdistan Region after a Kurdish opposition party called for anti-government protests in the region, a Dutch diplomat said Sunday, echoing similar remarks by representatives from Germany and the UK. 

Diplomats representing the countries in Erbil took to Twitter to voice concern over the arrests. Maaike Keizer, the Deputy Consul General of the Netherlands, urged authorities in the Kurdistan Region to respect the protestors' freedom of expression.

Supporters of the New Generation political party took to the streets in Sulaimani on Saturday following previous calls by party leader Shaswar Abdulwahid for anti-government protests. 

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 were arrested, including seven of its parliamentarians.

NL is concerned about the arrests of parliamentarian, political activitsts and journalists across the #KRI in recent days. We call on all KRI authorities to fully respect the right to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly. @nlinkri

— Maaike Keizer (@maaikekeizer) August 7, 2022

The German consulate to Erbil on Sunday also called on authorities to respect freedom of expression in the Region, calling it a "crucial" part of the democratic process. 

A media outlet close to the party said Sunday that more than 600 people were arrested during the Saturday protests.

Metro Center for Journalists Rights and Advocacy, a local media watchdog, on Saturday said that eleven journalists had been arrested by security forces across the Kurdistan Region in the 24 hours ahead of the protests.

However, Sulaimani's security directorate denied the arrests on Thursday, claiming that "no MPs or journalists have been arrested."

Abdulwahid has called for protests in the Kurdistan Region numerous times, which often turn violent following clashes with security forces.