Summary of Protests and Dissatisfaction – June 2025
In June 2025, citizens across cities in the Kurdistan Region organized 32 protest-related activities, including demonstrations, boycotts, and gatherings.

• By city:

  • Sulaymaniyah: 18 activities

  • Erbil: 8 activities

  • Halabja: 1 activity

  • Raparin Administration: 1 activity

  • Garmiyan Administration: 4 activities

• By issue:

  • 16 related to salary demands

  • 9 for employment demands

  • 3 related to public services

  • 1 anti-war protest

  • 3 with various other demands

• Notable incidents:

  • In Sulaymaniyah, 81 teachers, activists, political cadres, and journalists were arrested but later released.

  • In Duhok, a single case of abduction and torture by an armed group was documented. The individual was later released after enduring mistreatment.

  • Some detainees in Sulaymaniyah reportedly suffered severe beatings during arrest by security forces.

• Two cases of public retraction (commonly referred to at the national level as “radio confessions”) were documented in Duhok, where both individuals had previously made critical statements that were later publicly withdrawn.

• Due to suppression and arrests, June was the worst month for freedom of expression.

• For the first time, the Kurdistan Region’s security agency requested an official apology for the mass arrests in Sulaymaniyah.

• June was also a troubling month for the protection of parliamentarians:

  • Sipan Amêdî, a Kurdistan Parliament member from the New Generation faction, was attacked in Duhok.

  • Ali Hama Salih, head of the Halwest faction in Parliament, was arrested in Sulaymaniyah.

Network 19 for Monitoring Freedom of Expression
This report was prepared by a coalition of human rights organizations, led by the Metro Center. The coalition adheres to the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and related international instruments, particularly focusing on Article 19 of the Declaration.