Network 19, Sulaimani: In March, there were no mass protests at the level of teachers' and employees' strikes. Protests against the non-payment of salaries decreased by 91% and no rallies were held for or against banking, the most prominent demonstration was organized in Sulaimani for women's rights, and two activists were arrested in Erbil.
According to the human rights standards, all citizens should be able to express their opinions without fear of reprisals and free from censorship, respect the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression, which reflects the performance of the society in the field of human rights in general.
March, which is considered the month of holidays in the Kurdistan Region, for instance, the anniversary of the Kurdistan cities' uprisings, International Women's Day, Newroz, but (12) rallies and demonstrations were held, the number of protests decreased by 78% compared to February, when there were 54 activities.
According to the network, no organized protest activities were recorded in Halabja and Duhok. All 12 activities were in Erbil and Sulaimani, seven in Sulaimani and five in Erbil.
The demands were (4) for women's rights, (3) for services, (2) for salaries, and (3) activists against the health system, for the rights of the disabled, and freedom of the press.
Unlike last month, when most of the activities and protests were organized for salaries, which was a total of (22) activities, however, only two protests have been held this month, a decrease of 91 percent, and no protests have been held for or against banking.
The largest and most extensive demonstration of March was held in Sulaimani, organized by women's organizations. Participants marched from the beginning of Salim Street (Public Garden) to (Saholaka) chanting slogans for equality, without any clashes between participants and security forces.
On the evening of March 20, 2025, the Erbil security forces arrested activist Hawre Abdullah Saber, also known as Hawre Kurdi, in Newroz neighborhood, and then Zewar Mohammed, also known as Zewar Gardi, without any official explanation.
Network 19 investigated the cases of the detainees, according to our information, the charges were related to inviting citizens through social networks to participate in the Newroz celebration, which is held annually on March 20 in Mount Kandil.
Hawre Kurdi posted a photo of the invitation of the Kandil Newroz Preparatory Committee on his Facebook page with the caption "My loved ones in Erbil" for this year's Newroz in Erbil, transportation (bus) is provided free of charge. Anyone who wants to participate in the Newroz celebration can contact me.
About the 19 Freedom Monitoring Network:
Alliance Network 19 will continue to promote, protect and monitor the right to freedom of expression in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, emphasizing the need to ensure respect for this right as enshrined in Article 19 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights.