In late 2020, anger exploded across Kurdistan. Years of corruption, broken promises, and unpaid salaries finally pushed people past their limit. Protesters — many of them teachers, students, and public workers — took to the streets in cities like Sulaymaniyah and Halabja to demand change. They were tired of living under parties that cared more about power and money than the people they were supposed to serve.
The protests started peacefully, but they didn’t stay that way. Security forces responded with bullets, tear gas, and arrests. Offices of political parties were set on fire, and several media outlets that covered the protests were raided or shut down. The violence left at least eight people dead, including a 13-year-old boy, and hundreds injured.
Here’s what happened:
Demonstrators called for fair salaries, jobs, and an end to corruption.
Security forces opened fire to break up the crowds.
Journalists who tried to report the truth were threatened and detained.
At least eight protesters were killed, and hundreds more were injured.
Opposition media outlets were attacked or taken off the air.
Protest leaders were arrested before they could speak to the public.
The government’s message was clear: they didn’t want reform — they wanted control. Instead of listening to the people, they silenced them. The authorities blamed “foreign agendas,” but everyone knew this was about decades of greed and injustice.
Aftermath:
Human rights groups and international observers condemned the violence, saying the Kurdish authorities used force to crush public anger instead of fixing the problems that caused it. The Middle East Institute reported that these protests showed a deep divide between Kurdistan’s political elites and ordinary people — a sign that the government had lost touch with the reality of its citizens’ lives.
What began as a call for dignity and fairness became something bigger — a wake-up call that the Kurdish people are done being ignored.
Source: https://www.mei.edu/publications/beyond-elite-taking-protest-and-public-opinion-seriously-kurdistan-region
