Protesting Teachers, Civil Servants Return to Sulaymaniyah

PUKMEDIA

The protesting teachers and civil servants.

The protesting teachers and civil servants returned to Sulaymaniyah after being prevented from entering Erbil to express their demands, promising to continue their civic and democratic struggle.

On Sunday, February 9, 2025, a group of Kurdistan Region teachers and civil servants marched from Sulaymaniyah to Erbil, seeking salary improvements, but were stopped by security authorities at the checkpoint beyond the Degala area.

Following the obstruction and they return, they held a press conference in which they underlined the importance of continuing the civic and democratic struggle to have their demands met.

The protesting teachers and civil servants stated at a press conference: "The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has not met our demands while also attempting to level accusations against us. The security forces' refusal to allow us to enter Erbil demonstrated that the government is impeding democracy and our demands."

"Although the security forces beyond Degala assaulted us with beatings and tear gas while we only had pens as weapons, we promise to continue our civil struggle until our demands are met; we will not stop the civil struggle," the protesting teachers and civil servants stated.

They also said: "No force can intimidate us since the lives of our comrades in Sulaymaniyah are in danger under the tent of glory, and we demand once more that our demands be met so that the lives of our friends on hunger strikes are not jeopardised further. We have demonstrated to the world that we have begun a new chapter of democracy, and we will continue to fight for our rights."

A group of educators and government employees have been staging a sit-in outside the United Nations office in Sulaymaniyah since 10 January 2025. Thirteen of them, including 3 women, went on a hunger strike since then, staying under a set-up tent in freezing cold weather. 

Nationalisation or Tawtin is the Iraqi Government's initiative to pay civil servant salaries through bank accounts. The initiative is aimed at modernising Iraq's financial infrastructure and boosting transparency in the public sector payroll system.

The Kurdistan Region's Prime Minister announced MyAccount as an alternative for Baghdad's Tawtin in 2023. However, civil servants in the Kurdistan Region support Tawtin because they are doubtful of the KRG's ability to pay the salaries sent by Baghdad to the Region's civil servants.



PUKMEDIA