Sulaimani, June 26th, 2025: Metro Center strongly condemns the arrest campaigns against journalists and civil and political activists, welcomes the release of media teams and a number of activists and calls for the immediate release of all detainees in the case of the demonstration.
Security forces in Salim Street and its streets began illegally arresting media teams and activists who were planning to demonstrate in front of Western Education in order to prevent a civil activity.
Names of the media teams arrested and then released on June 26th:
(Peshwa Nawzad, Nabaz Hidayat, Hana Mahmoud, Dzwar Omar, Sarko Hama Faiq, Mohammed Dilshad, Shadost Farhad, Karwan Imran, Sirwan Ali, Mahran Ramazan, Nizar Star, Zhilia Ali, Ibrahim Salih, Ayub Aziz, Mohammed Sa'dullah, Hassan Mohammed, Hoshyar Mohammed, Hemn Mohammed).
Although the Sulaimani security forces told Metro Center that all the detained teams have been released, but the administration of Speda TV told us that their team (Ibrahim Salih and Ayub Aziz) have not been released.
"53 demonstrators and 14 journalists were arrested and released, but 14 organizers of the demonstration have not been released," an informed source told Westga News.
Metro Center strongly condemns the arrest of journalists, civil and political activists, welcomes the release of media teams and a number of activists and calls for the immediate release of all detainees in connection with the demonstration.
Background of Events,
On the night of June 25th, the two organizers of the demonstration, Osman Gulpi and Dilshad Mirani, were asked to visit the security forces, after they leave, they disappear.
Adel Hassan, a member of the protesting teachers' council, told Network 19 that the families of the detainees went to the Sulaimani General Security this morning. "They are with us and we will release them tomorrow,” they were told.
Also, yesterday afternoon, June 25th, a group of teachers held a press conference in front of the public garden in Sulaimani, in which they demanded the release of their friends, who were arrested by security forces, including activist (Dilsoz Zangana), they also seized the journalistic equipment of an NRT team.
Meanwhile, the Halwest Movement said that a number of protesting teachers and employees were arrested in front of the Halwest office in Sulaimani by a force dressed in civilian clothes.
The arrested teachers and employees, (Najmadin Mohammed, Dilawar Ali, Zryan Ali, Munira Abdullah, Shahla Ali, Nur Fariq and Mohammed Rasul), were the organizers of the demonstration scheduled for Thursday.
On Saturday, June 21st, a group of protesting teachers and employees in Sulaimani, in a press conference called on all sections of society to take to the streets on Thursday and demand their rights against corruption, injustice and salary delay.
Also on June 24th, an NRT team (Ali Salih, Mir Sarkawt) was arrested by security forces while preparing a report in Sulaimani market and released after several hours.
The arrest of the NRT team coincided with a statement issued by the Sulaimani Provincial Security Committee, which said, "Holding demonstrations in this sensitive situation in the region is not appropriate.
"They demanded that the demonstration be postponed for a more stable time so that we can help and coordinate in conveying their messages in a civilized manner and away from any possibility of violence and unwanted incidents.
In response, teachers and employees rejected the request of the security committee and said their statement for peaceful demonstrations remains the same.
Colonel Salam Abdulkhaliq, spokesman for the Kurdistan Regional Security Agency, told a news conference today that the security committee did not say that demonstrations are prohibited, but did not consider the time appropriate.
"We had full information that the demonstration was going to be violent and that some people were trying to disrupt the demonstration," he said.
According to Article 10 of Law No. 11 of 2010 on Organizing Demonstrations in the Kurdistan Region, "Anyone who violates the provisions of this law shall be punished with imprisonment for a period not exceeding one month or a fine of not less than fifty thousand dinars and not more than five hundred thousand dinars, or both.”