SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi said peaceful demonstrations are a constitutional right, calling on all sides in Sulaimani to be unified to prevent further escalation.
Students of universities and institutes continued to protest in Erbil, Sulaimani and Halabja provinces for a fourth day in a row on Wednesday, calling on the government to resume payment of their monthly stipends suspended since 2015.
“Peaceful demonstrations are a constitutional right, however, attacking protesters and damaging public and private property is not acceptable,” Kadhimi said in a tweet.
In Sulaimani, protests turned violent after protesters confronted riot police and security forces at Sara Square.
Protesters set fire to the public library building in Piramagroon town and torched Gorran and Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) offices in Said Sadiq, southeast of Sulaimani.
Authorities in Sulaimani said there were people among protesters who intended to disrupt security of the province.
“The recent painful events in Sulimaniya requires a unified stance from all sides to preserve civil peace and prevent further escalation,” Kadhimi added.
As protests continued, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Council of Ministers decided to allocate a budget to the ministry of higher education and scientific research to assist students who are in need and to solve the issues of dormitories.
