The Asaysh (security) department in Sulaimani, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, denied approval for a group of Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) trainees to conduct a public action in solidarity with government employees. The action was to take place in Azadi (freedom) Park, Sulaimani, on Feb. 19, 2016.

After the regional government of Iraqi Kurdistan (KRG) failed to pay public-sector employees’ salaries for the last five months, a number of public sector employees in Sulaimani went on a strike. The strike included, but was not limited to, teachers, traffic police and doctors.

The 2016 CPT-training group in Sulaimani prepared a public action to demonstrate their appreciation for the hard work the employees have done without pay for such a long time, and to show support for the employees’ demand for their rights. The demonstration would have included a short theatrical performance by the trainees, with the support of the CPT team in Sulaimani.

After the trainees and CPT team spent several days in the process of receiving security approval, the Asaysh department denied the action. Asaysh officials’ justification was that “they will not allow any destructive action to take part in Sulaimani.”

CPT trainees decided to show their support for the employees despite the fact the Asaysh prohibited them to conduct their performance in public. They conducted the performance on the rooftop of the CPT office in Sulaimani.

View a video of the demonstration: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXbPKIP7EYg