Kurdistan Flag Dominated January Protests, No Violence Recorded, Says Rights Group

PUKMEDIA

Sulaymaniyah's demonstrations, which were held in support of Rojava.

The Coalition Network 19 released statistics on civil activities carried out during January on Tuesday, 3 February 2026, according to which 113 peaceful civil activities were held across cities in the Kurdistan Region. 

Of these, 98 activities — representing 86% — were organised in support of West Kurdistan (Rojava or North and East Syria). The network confirmed that no violence was recorded and that the Kurdistan flag, rather than party flags, dominated the demonstrations.

In a statement, the Coalition Network 19, which is supervised by the Metro Center for Journalists Right & Advocacy, said it monitored 113 peaceful civil activities across the Kurdistan Region's cities during January, including 77 rallies, 17 gatherings, 16 press conferences, two street closures and one strike.

Regarding the focus of the activities, the network reported that 98 demonstrations were held in support of Rojava. The remaining activities addressed issues related to public services, salaries, the rights of people with disabilities and other social demands.

The network, which monitored the demonstration, where hundreds of thousands of citizens participated across the Kurdistan Region, added that security forces successfully protected the demonstrations, with no incidents of violence reported. It also underlined that the network's observers also recorded no cases of violence against women or girls, and noted that hate speech was minimal and not reflected in protest speeches. 

Participation by women and youth, as well as attention to environmental protection, was described as high, the network added.

The Coalition Network 19 was established by a group of organisations and human rights defenders and is supervised by Metro Center for Journalists Right & Advocacy. It operates in accordance with the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international conventions on rights and freedoms, particularly Article 19 on freedom of expression.



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