2011 Kurdish protests in Iraq

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It has been suggested that this article be merged with 2011 Sulaymaniyah protests. (Discuss) Proposed since September 2011.
2011 Kurdish protests in Iraq
Part of the 2011 Iraqi protests
Autonomous Region Kurdistan en.png
Map of Iraqi Kurdistan.
Date 21 February – 30 April 2011
Location  Iraqi Kurdistan
Causes
Goals
  • Greater Autonomy
  • Political Reforms
Methods
Result Status quo

The 2011 Kurdish protests in Iraq were a series of demonstrations and riots against the Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq. The autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan experienced protests distinct from protests elsewhere in Iraq, which took place concurrent with the Kurdish protests. These Kurdish protests were also related to the Kurdish protests in Turkey and protests in Iran, as well as a general uprising in Syria joined and supported by Syrian Kurds.

Contents

Protests [edit]

21 February [edit]

Protests erupted in the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan, in the city of Sulaimaniya. A 17-year-old teenager was killed, and 39 others were injured. The city of Sulaimaniya was also a place of protests, including at the local university.[2]

25 February – "Day of Rage" [edit]

On the same day that protests raked the rest of Iraq, Kurdish protests in the north were especially violent. Twenty-nine people throughout Iraq were killed, many of them in the Kurdish region.[3][4][5]

18 April [edit]

About 400 protesters gathered in Sulaimaniya's central square, but at least 50 were hurt when some demonstrators allegedly began to attack police with sticks and stones, leading to a riot.[6]

20–30 April [edit]

Thousands of soldiers from the Peshmerga and the Iraqi Army entered restive Sulaimaniya on 20 April to impose order and prevent further demonstrations. Security forces were successful in quelling demonstrations.[7] One military commander was quoted by Reuters as saying of the protesters, "They failed 100 percent. They thought they could topple the government. Their agendas have all failed."[8]

2 December [edit]

The 2011 Dohuk riots refers to riots by Muslim Kurds on 2 December 2011, which were instigated by Friday prayers' sermons calling for Jihad against liquor stores and massage parlours in Zakho in the Dohuk Governorate, Iraq. The riots soon developed into looting and burning down of Assyrian and Yazidi-owned properties in other towns in Iraqi Kurdistan, over the next couple of days.

Regional connections [edit]

Kurdish protesters in Iraqi Kurdistan have expressed solidarity with brethren in Syria and Turkey, and the relative autonomy of the region has helped it to function as a sort of sanctuary for Kurdish leaders and refugees. After the independence of South Sudan in East Africa, some Iraqi Kurds suggested that the example of the South Sudanese peacefully and democratically gaining independence from Arab-dominated Sudan should be a model for the Kurdish population in the Middle East.[9]

See also [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ Salih, Mohammed (17 February 2011). "IRAQ: Protests Spread to Kurdistan". IPS News. Retrieved 21 July 2011. 
  2. ^ Tawfeeq, Mohammed (21 February 2011). "Teenager dies, 39 hurt in fresh clashes in Iraq's Kurdistan". CNN. Archived from the original on 24 February 2011. Retrieved 25 February 2011. 
  3. ^ Salaheddin, Sinan (25 February 2011). "11 killed as Iraqis protest in 'Day of Rage'". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 25 February 2011. 
  4. ^ "Toll rises as Iraq, Yemen protests rage". ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). 26 February 2011. Archived from the original on 23 April 2011. Retrieved 24 April 2011. 
  5. ^ McCrummen, Stephanie (26 February 2011). "Iraq 'Day of Rage' protests followed by detentions, beatings". The Washington Post. 
  6. ^ Tawfeeq, Mohammed (17 April 2011). "At least 50 wounded in Kurdish protest in Iraq". CNN. Archived from the original on 29 April 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2011. 
  7. ^ "Reports: Arabs are dispatched to prevent protests in Sulaimaniah". Alsumaria. 26 April 2011. Retrieved 1 May 2011. 
  8. ^ Abdulla, Namo (29 April 2011). "Military presence halts protests in Iraq's Kurdistan". Reuters. Retrieved 1 May 2011. 
  9. ^ "Kurdish nationalism rises with Arab unrest, Sudan split". Daily Times. 21 July 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2011. 
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