Protester killed in Rawanduz buried as residents demand arrest of alleged shooter

ERBIL — Residents of Warte subdistrict buried Hasan Rahman on Monday, a protester fatally shot during a demonstration over electricity outages, and called on authorities to arrest the officer responsible.

The incident occurred Sunday night when demonstrators blocked the Hamilton Road to protest repeated power shortages. Tensions escalated as security personnel attempted to disperse the crowd. A video widely circulated on social media appears to show an officer striking a young protester with the butt of a Kalashnikov rifle, which then discharges. The bullet appears to strike another demonstrator, who collapses.

Warte is part of Rawanduz district in the Soran Autonomous Administration of Erbil governorate.

“After a meeting of community elders, it was decided to give time to the government until this evening to arrest the killer and bring him to court. Otherwise, the matter will escalate into a tribal issue,” said Amanj Ahmad, a local resident.

Ahmad said younger residents were dissatisfied with the elders’ decision to wait but had respected it for now. He warned that if authorities fail to act, the community would return to Hafiz Bridge—where Rahman was killed—to continue their protest.

Hafiz Bridge lies along Hamilton Road, which connects the region to the Haji Omaran border crossing with Iran, a key commercial artery. “Authorities must respond to our demands there,” Ahmad said. “All the people of the area are united in demanding justice for the victim, and that the killer be brought to court. The authorities must understand that we are angry.”

The Kurdistan Regional Government has promoted its Runaki project as a major electricity reform initiative aimed at replacing private diesel generators with continuous power from the national grid. The project has delivered 24-hour electricity to more than 2 million residents in parts of Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, and Duhok so far.

Many rural areas, including parts of Soran, still experience daily outages. Full rollout across the Kurdistan Region is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.