One person dead, 33 wounded in northern Iraq protest

ARBIL, Iraq | Thu Feb 17, 2011 10:04am EST

ARBIL, Iraq Feb 17 (Reuters) - One person was killed and 33 wounded when protesters clashed with police on Thursday in the northern Iraqi city of Sulaimaniya, two medical sources in the city said.

The clashes occurred when about 1,000 protesters stopped in front of the headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, headed by Iraqi Kurdistan president Masoud Barzani, and began to throw stones at the building, witnesses said.

Witnesses said police opened fire on the crowd. (Reporting by Shamal Aqrawi; Writing by Jim Loney)

We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/
Comments (2)
ilovekurds wrote:
As a Kurd in Kurdistan, I will gladly write to express the reality of the situation:

1.) This was not a peaceful demonstration. Several protestors marched out of their permitted area and initiated an attack on the local KDP offices. When trying to infiltrate the KDP political office, the Peshmerga forces took necessary action to protect themselves from angry protestors.
2.) Protestors were carrying armed handguns and started firing on their own Peshmerga forces. These protestors were later questioned and it was determined that none had the legal right to carry arms.
3.) At the local the Goran Political offices, they have continued to encourage citizens to unlawfully protest in restricted areas. At the same, they have publicly denounced the protest as unlawful and extreme. Overall, the Goran Party is falsely reporting the situation, but to the common Kurd in the region, it is widely known that these protestors are fully backed by the Goran Party.

Furthermore, these types of protests are not in the benefit of the Kurdish people. It only destabilizes the region and endorses the use of deadly force towards other civilians. Now that the Goran Party has political representation in the Kurdistan Parliament, they can make changes internally through the democratic framework that is currently present. Thus far, the Goran Party has only denounced the shortfalls in the KRG, but has not provided a solution towards the issues that they protest.

Feb 17, 2011 5:48pm EST  --  Report as abuse
Dreamerest wrote:
SOS…SOS…again the tyrant Masood Barzani and his murders leashed a deadly attack against the innocent civilians protesting for freedom and restoring the rule of law. Masood Barzani trained killers used live ammunition against the unarmed young people whom gathered in front of the headquarter of the tyrant party, asking political and economical reforms. The dictator Masood Barzani send a clear message to the people that he is still the bloody person who made thousands suffer during the ten years civil war in the region, back then he led a systematic offensive against the people terrorizing civil rights and basic freedoms that included the use of torture and rape of his opponents . we ask the world support today toward gaining our freedoms and basic rights, your support in revealing the truth of Masood Barzani’s bloody regime will save the lives of thousands of innocent people; children and women. Thank you.

Feb 18, 2011 1:39am EST  --  Report as abuse
This discussion is now closed. We welcome comments on our articles for a limited period after their publication.
See All Comments »