SULAIMANI (ESTA) — U.S. Consulate-General in the Kurdistan Region said on Saturday it was concerned over the arrest of people perceived to be gay in Sulaimani city.
Security forces launched a campaign on Thursday night to detain people what the security service said were involved in “prostitution activities” in Sarchinar neighborhood in the city.
“We are watching with concern the events in #Sulaymaniyah that seem to be targeting members of the #LGBTI community for arrest,” the U.S. consulate in Erbil said in a tweet.
In a statement on Friday, the Directorate of Asyaish (security) in Sulaimani said the campaign was at the request of residents of Sarchinar neighborhood in the city.
“Our forces launched an operation … in one of Sulaimani’s neighborhood to eliminate prostitution activities there after we had received complaints by residents of the neighborhood reporting that they have been disturbed by increasing prostitution practices in the area,” it said in response to reaction on social media.
“Our forces launched the operation within the framework of their duty to protect public order only to eliminate prostitution activities in the neighborhood, and they had no intention to target any other groups,” it added.
Director of Anti-Drug department at the Asayish directorate Pishtiwan Bahadin told Esta Media Network that the campaign was to arrest people in Sarchinar neighborhood for “performing immoral acts” and to detain those who “create chaos” in the city.
It is still unclear how many people have been arrested during the campaign.
