Sulaimani, September 6, 2024: Metro Center strongly condemns the raid on the headquarters of the Chawder Network in Sulaimani, we declare that this action will affect the reputation of the capital of culture and is a wrong step to resolve differences.

Last night, a security force of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) seized the headquarters of the Central Network of Chawder, Radio Madaniyat, it includes Galawezh, Chawder, Ruwanga and Rakhna, Separation Platform, Chawder Sculpture Project and Chawder Gallery.

Meanwhile, the website (PUKMEDIA) published a statement of the financial institutions of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), saying that the headquarters of the monitoring institution, which is owned by the PUK and all its requirements were provided by the financial institution.

Metro is beyond intellectual, party and political differences, but we consider it our duty to stand against all attempts to silence, close and end civil, media and cultural institutions, because as a principle we believe in the right to secede, the rule of law and the removal of force from political and party conflict.

We strongly condemn the raid on the headquarters of the Chawder Network in Sulaimani, which is led by Mala Bakhtiar, a prominent intellectual and political figure. This action will affect the reputation of the capital of culture and is a wrong step to resolve differences.

This position of Metro is to defend the important role played by the intellectual and cultural activities of the institution, which has gone beyond the nature of party activities, have become a prominent cultural and intellectual phenomenon in the Kurdistan Region.

We consider ourselves defenders of the right to freedom of expression and pluralism, which is one of the cultural and historical characteristics of Sulaimani, which is a bright name of Kurdistan, but it is shocking that the capital of culture is in a situation where the forced closure of a civilian cultural institution by the military force of a member party of the Socialist International becomes the headlines of the weekend.