Protests in UK Against KDP’s Arrest of Journalist Sulaiman Ahmed

On Friday, June 28, 2024, Dakok Organization orchestrated demonstrations in five major UK cities to protest the KDP’s arrest of journalist Sulaiman Ahmed and his subsequent trial in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

Dakok Organization led protests in five major cities across the UK on Friday, June 28, 2024, condemning the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) for the arrest and prosecution of journalist Sulaiman Ahmed in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

A Kurdfile reporter attended the Manchester protest, where demonstrators voiced their concerns about the oppressive environment for journalists and activists under the KDP and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) rule. Protesters claimed that not only journalists but anyone with an active voice faces danger.

Omer Salih, co-founder of Dakok Organization, expressed his distress, saying, “Sadly, the pain of what is going on in Kurdistan brought me here. The KDP and PUK have their own checkpoints; no one can stand against them.”

Lawen Salih, a participant from Badinan, emphatically called for the release of journalists and social activists from prison.

Shalaw Asaad, another demonstrator who has sought asylum in the UK, lamented, “The dignity of humans in Kurdistan is not safe.”

The protests highlighted the urgent need for international attention and intervention to safeguard freedom of expression and human rights in the Kurdistan region. Video footage of the demonstrations and transcripts of the participants’ speeches can be found on Kurdfile’s website for those seeking more information.