Between 2020 and 2021, Kurdish authorities carried out a wave of arrests, kidnappings, and disappearancestargeting activists, journalists, and ordinary citizens who spoke out against corruption. Many were taken without explanation, locked away for months, and denied contact with their families or lawyers.
People were arrested simply for posting criticism on social media or attending peaceful demonstrations. In Duhok and surrounding areas, the Kurdish security forces — known as the Asayish — led most of the crackdowns. Some detainees were beaten, threatened, and tortured during interrogation to force confessions or silence them permanently.
Here’s what happened:
Dozens of activists and journalists were taken from their homes at night without warrants.
Families were kept in the dark, with no information on where their loved ones were being held.
Some detainees disappeared for months, with no legal process or public record.
Reports from human rights groups described torture, electric shocks, and intimidation during interrogations.
Journalists were accused of “spying” or “threatening national security” just for exposing corruption.
When relatives or lawyers demanded answers, authorities denied the arrests ever happened.
The arrests weren’t about security — they were about fear. The government wanted to send a message: stay quiet or disappear.
Aftermath:
Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, condemned the Kurdish authorities for widespread human rights violations, calling the arrests “a campaign to crush dissent.” The report highlighted that the KDP-controlled Duhok region was one of the worst for enforced disappearances. Many of those who were taken have still not been seen or heard from.
This period showed the true face of Kurdish authority — one that hides behind democracy but rules through fear, control, and silence.
Source: https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2021/country-chapters/iraq
