Protests resume in Kirkuk

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Protesters resumed their demonstrations in Kirkuk province against the arbitrary arrests of Kurdish protesters in the past two days in the city. 

The protests are also against the fierce deployment of security forces in the province following the Sept. 2 demonstration, in which four Kurdish protestors were killed while 15 others were wounded. 

Police forces have been deployed in the area to contain the gathering, according to footages shared with Kurdistan 24. 

Twenty six out of 30 Kurdish detainees have been freed so far, Shakhawan Abdulla, the deputy speaker of Iraqi parliament told Kurdistan 24 on Monday. 

Kurdish protestors on Saturday afternoon poured into the popular Raheemawa street to demand the reopening of the Kirkuk-Erbil main road that was closed for about a week by the members of Shiite militia forces against the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s (KDP) return to the multi-ethnic province.

The protests ended when the militia members reopened the main road, whose closure had negatively impacted the livelihoods of the local population.

The ruling Kurdish party has ceased all its operations in Kirkuk since 2017 in protest of the military takeover of the oil-rich province by the Iranian-backed militias and Iraqi army.

The militias’ protest comes as the political parties, including the KDP, are set to run in the provincial elections in December. The Kurdish parties won the majority seats of the Kirkuk provincial council in the last election.

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Sunday ordered the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Ministry of Martyrs and Anfal Affairs to register the killed protestors in Kirkuk as “martyrs” and provide medical assistance to the wounded, the spokesperson announced.