Sulaimani, September 7th, 2025: Metro Center says that the attacks of armed groups on the offices of local and foreign organizations are a clear violation of international humanitarian law, and there is a risk of making the Kurdistan Region an unsafe place for foreign organizations.
Paya Office is located in Sarchnar neighborhood of Sulaimani, near the house of People's Front leader Lahur Sheikh Jangi and Lalazar Hotel. Several cultural and environmental organizations and international organizations have offices in the building, such as Bahradar Organization for Youth Development, Paya Agency, Art Plus, Iraqi and Kurdistan Water Defenders, UPP.
UPP, also known as Un Ponte Per (A Bridge to), is an independent Italian non-profit organization working to build bridges of peace and strengthen civil society organizations in conflict areas such as Iraq, the Middle East and North Africa, through community development projects, youth, women's empowerment, and refugee support.
According to several sources to the Metro Center who did not want to be named, on Friday morning, August 22, 2025, during the bloody fighting in Lalazar in Sarchnar Hill in Sulaimani, armed forces raided the building where the offices of local and international organizations.
Today we learned that the force took all the items in the office of the organizations, including: money boxes containing project money, four color printers, black and white, Surya satellite phone, several computer sets, nine laptops, datasheet sets, three sets of Sony and Canon cameras, Asia Cell, Fast Link and IQ Wi-Fi devices, cash counters, several TV screens, employee passports, several headphones, speakers, mobile phones, and several UPS, as well as very simple equipment such as toothbrushes and employee shavers.
In other organizations, they took sewing machines, over and pattern machines, clothing irons, drill, vacuum cleaner, wallets with money and bags.
Metro Center, upon hearing the news began to investigate, although the information is confirmed, but was surprised that no one is willing to comment on behalf of himself and his organization, they have been silent for nearly two weeks.
The attack on the building that houses the offices of several local and foreign organizations, confiscating its equipment and taking it to an unknown location, has no legal basis and is a clear violation of international humanitarian law, it prevents these organizations from carrying out their work and risks putting the Kurdistan Region in a red zone for foreign organizations.
Metro is aware that these organizations have nothing to do with the recent political and armed conflict, so as to justify the seizure of property of these organizations, demands an apology and compensation for their losses.
All parties must protect the offices of local and foreign organizations. We call on the independent media institutions to uncover these violations and inform the public with more information.