Human Rights Watch (HRW) reports that on August 5 and 6, 2022, security forces in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) arrested dozens of journalists, activists, and politicians in expectation of upcoming demonstrations. The incident raises concerns about citizens' basic rights within the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and questions have been raised regarding unlawful political interference of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Human Rights Watch's deputy Middle East director, Adam Coogle, said, "Using arbitrary repression to quell protests and intimidate activists and journalists is a recipe for spreading further grievance among KRI residents."

According to HRW, before the protests began, the Asayish (police) were already preparing to prevent the protesters from exercising their basic rights. According to journalists and activists, the Asayish opened fire on protesters and journalists as soon as the demonstration started, although witnesses reported an absence of any violence that would have warranted the use of teargas or the subsequent arrests. According to the HRW report, authorities at both the federal and KRI level have utilized a variety of defamation and incitement laws against critics, including journalists, activists, and other dissenting voices.

To protest according to KRG laws, organizers of the protest must receive permission prior to protesting from the Interior Ministry if the protest will be held in various areas of Kurdistan simultaneously. If a protest is due to take place within one city, permission from the governor of that city is required. Additionally, it is stated within the law that all protests must be peaceful.

This is not the first time journalists and activists have been wrongfully detained. According to the HWR, “A court in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq sentenced three journalists and two activists to six years in prison on February 16, 2021, in deeply flawed proceedings." HRW’s Deputy Director, Coogle, criticized the KRG, arguing that despite Kurdistan's relative stability compared to the rest of Iraq, the KRG should not condone the unlawful arrests of activists, journalists, and opposition journalists for planning or participating in peaceful protests.

By: Baniz Wasman