Former lawmaker accuses PUK of "backing Al-Sulaymaniyah protests"

Shafaq News/ A former Kurdish lawmaker Payman Azad-Din, on Tuesday, stated that the ongoing protests in Al-Sulaymaniyah are backed by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).
The member of the Change Movement (Gorran), asserted in a statement that "The protests in Al-Sulaymaniyah are organized with the PUK’s consent. If they were not sanctioned by the party, security forces, whether police or special units, would crack down on participants with force."
She further emphasized that any demonstration in the city requires the PUK’s approval, ensuring that security forces should handle it in an official manner to prevent unrest. "It is crucial that these protests end with a decision from the party," she added.
Protests erupted in the city of Al-Sulaymaniyah as demonstrators called for the resolution of salary-related issues and expressed solidarity with hunger strikers protesting deteriorating living.
A teacher on hunger strike was hospitalized yesterday, marking the sixth day of a sit-in outside the United Nations office in the province.
The Kurdistan Region is facing a severe salary crisis, with unpaid public sector wages for December 2024 and January 2025 sparking widespread unrest. The crisis stems from a long-standing financial dispute between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the federal government in Baghdad.