The United States embassy and European Union missions in Iraq have issued statements of concern about the Kurdistan Regional Government’s arrests and violent suppression of protests last week.
In a press release, the United States embassy in Baghdad said it was concerned about the use of tear gas and rubber bullets by local security forces to disperse protesters, as well as the arrest of MPs, activists, and journalists who joined the anti-corruption protests held in Sulaymaniyah province on 6 Aug.
“For democracy to succeed, governments must safeguard constitutionally protected and universal human rights and freedoms,” the embassy said.
After Kurdish opposition New Generation Movement called for demonstrations across northern Iraq to be held on Saturday 6 Aug to protest against corruption and massive unemployment in the region, security forces scrambled to prevent the protests by arresting MPs and journalists.
The Dutch Deputy Consul General, Maaike Keizer, raised concerns over the arrests of MPs, politicians, and journalists that ensured.
“We call on all KRI authorities to fully respect the right to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly,” said Keizer in a tweet.
British Deputy Consul General, Jamie Hamill, voiced his concern in a tweet, “Freedoms of expression, media, and association are a crucial part of the democratic process,” he said. The German general consulate in Erbil also expressed concerns and urged all parties to avoid further escalation.
Metro Center for Journalists Rights and Advocacy, an Iraqi NGO, said in a press release on Saturday that 70 violations against journalists had been recorded during the demonstrations of 6 Aug, in one day outstripping the 63 violations against journalists recorded during the rest of the year.
The Metro Center said the violations against journalists on 6 Aug included 26 arrests, four home raids, five injuries by tear gas and the closure of one media organisation.
