Teachers, public sector employees forced to turn back after being prevented from entering Erbil for protest

ERBIL — Teachers and government employees from Sulaymaniyah, Halabja, and the Raparin and Garmian administrations were forced to return to their cities after being prevented from entering Erbil to hold a protest, according to participants.

Hundreds of demonstrators had planned to gather in Erbil on Sunday but were stopped at the Degala checkpoint by security forces. Tensions escalated when police deployed tear gas to disperse the crowd.

“We were blocked at the checkpoint. Our plan was to reach Erbil and deliver our message. Anyway, we are not giving up on our demands,” a participant told 964media.

At a press conference, Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw said no request for a protest permit had been submitted and that unpermitted demonstrations are not allowed. “For this reason, we would not welcome the arriving teachers and employees,” he said. He added, “No one denies that Kurdistan Region employees are dissatisfied, but the source of the injustice happening in Kurdistan is Baghdad.”

The protesters are demanding timely salary payments, direct disbursement of salaries from Baghdad, reinstatement of promotions for government employees that have been suspended for more than ten years, and restoration of previously cut salaries.

Degala checkpoint is a main entry point to Erbil for travelers from Sulaymaniyah and has served for nearly three decades as a dividing line between the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s authority in Erbil and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan’s authority in Sulaymaniyah.