Selective Enforcement Alleged After Kurds Detained for Flying U.S. Flags in Kirkuk
Two Kurdish youths were arrested in Kirkuk for flying the US flag at a car show. Kurdistan24 correspondent Soran Kamaran reported the arrests were selective, as others with foreign flags were ignored, and came after a pro-militia media figure filmed them.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Two young Kurdish men were arrested by security forces in Kirkuk on Friday for displaying the American flag on their cars during a routine enthusiast meetup, an incident that a Kurdistan24 correspondent on the scene reported as a targeted action amid a climate of legal uncertainty in the city.
A source within the Kirkuk police confirmed to Kurdistan24 that the two individuals were taken into custody following a direct order from the Kirkuk Police Commander. The youths are Kurdish residents who, according to reports, participate in a customary weekly car gathering where it is common for owners to display the national flag of their vehicle's country of manufacture.
Kurdistan24’s correspondent in Kirkuk, Soran Kamaran, provided a detailed, first-hand account of the events, describing the situation as a selective enforcement of authority.
"This is a pretext to target Kurds in Kirkuk," Kamaran reported from the scene. "The two young men who were arrested are both Kurds. They have committed no crime."
He detailed the context of the arrests, which took place at a park known as Smile Land where the car meetup is held. "What is very strange is that if flying the flags of Western countries, including European ones, is forbidden and not allowed, there was a BMW car there with a German flag on it. They didn't arrest that person," Kamaran observed. "They came directly through all the cars and went for the two young men who had the American flag."
The correspondent described a heavy-handed police response to what appeared to be a minor issue. "Four security forces treated them like criminals, handcuffed them, and several military and police vehicles came to the scene, saying, 'We are only here for these two,'" he reported.
Following the arrest, the two men were transported to the al-Miqdad police station. Kamaran noted an additional act that caused distress to their families: "They took them to the Miqdad police station and took their pictures with their cars, which once again deeply hurt their families' feelings."
The atmosphere at the scene was reportedly tense, with friends of the arrested youths fearful of speaking out. "I tried to speak with friends of the two young men who were with them, but they say, 'We can't talk because we're afraid if we speak out, they will come for us and arrest us tomorrow,'" Kamaran stated, adding, "The situation in Kirkuk has reached a point where you don't know under what law or pretext you can be arrested."
According to Kamaran’s report, the police action was prompted by a video filmed by an individual described as "a person of Arab nationality, who is a media personality associated with pro-militia groups (the 'Wala'iyyin')." This individual reportedly filmed the youths, claiming that "people are being provoked by this scene and these flags" and that flying the American flag should not be permitted in Kirkuk.
The security forces then acted on the charge of "provocation" without, as Kamaran noted, confirming the legality of displaying a foreign flag.
Later in the evening, the two young men were brought before a duty judge. A friend of the youths who was there told Kurdistan24 that the judge instructed him to leave for the time being and that the case would be addressed on Sunday.
In their formal statements, the youths maintained their innocence. They explained, "First, we did not know that flying these flags was forbidden. Second, what we did was not intended to provoke anyone. We just came here, our cars are American, so we put American flags on them." They also pointed out that "this is not the first time we have done this," having done so several times previously without any issue.
