SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) office in Sulaimani said on Tuesday those who attacked the office were not students but some other people.
Hundreds of university students protested in the Kurdistan Region for the third day in a row, calling on the government to resume payment of their monthly stipends.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has suspended the distribution of students’ stipends since 2015, when the Region was hit by an economic crisis due to a drop in oil prices, the fight against Islamic State (ISIS) and the wave of displaced people and refugees who headed to Kurdish for shelter.
Students were paid 30,000-100,000 Iraqi dinars ($20.5-$68.5) per month.
Head of the PUK office in Sulaimani Jabar Mohammed said there were people among the protesters who were not students attacked the party’s office.
“Only one room was set on fire in the attack carried out by tear gas [canisters],” Mohammed told Esta Media Network.
“Students protested for their rights, but some people who were not students took advantage of the situation, and that is concerning,” he said.
He also expressed the PUK’s support for the students, saying “it is their rights”.
University and institute students started demonstrations in Erbil, Sulaimani and Halabja as well as Garmian and Raparin administrations on Sunday.
