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A demonstration in protest at the deadly Turkish attack in Duhok province was banned by police in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) capital Erbil (Hewlêr). A Kurdish MP was among those who were prevented from gathering in a park to demonstrate.
Nine civilians, all Arab tourists, were killed, and at least 23 were injured by a Turkish artillery attack in Zakho district, Duhok province, on 20 July.
Ali Hama Salih, Change (Gorran) Movement MP in the Kurdish Regional parliament, managed to address a small crowd near Shanadar Park during the incident, according to a report by a Medya News correspondent in Erbil.
Salih condemned the ban and the cordoning off of the area by the police, saying, “Unfortunately, we are prevented from protesting and are not allowed to express what we think in our own country.”
He continued:
“Because of bombardments by Turkey, 157 villages have been evacuated. A further 500 face possible evacuation. Farmers’ land has been burned (…) We wanted to protest to deliver a vital message: Stop Turkey killing the people of Kurdistan.”
Three activists, Hewre Kurdi, Lizan Bekir and Sebir Ferens, were detained by the police, only to be released five hours later.
