Makhmur residents revolt against siege and arrest of their representatives

Residents of the Martyr Rustam Judi refugee camp in Makhmur District, Nineveh Governorate, Iraq, demonstrated today to protest the ongoing siege of the camp and the arrest of a delegation of their representatives by the Iraqi government.

The demonstration began in front of the Martyrs' Families Center and headed toward the United Nations headquarters, where demonstrators held up pictures of the detained delegation members, Ahmed Shahbaz, Büyük Amin, and Adban Yılmaz, and chanted, "Long live the struggle of Makhmur."

The demonstrators gathered in front of the UN office and observed a minute of silence for the martyrs of Kurdistan's freedom. Then, Nodem Yaman, Deputy Chairman of the Makhmur People's Council, read a statement on behalf of the camp's residents. It read, "The people of Makhmur have never been in need of anyone. Rather, they left for Iraqi cities and provided for themselves. However, the Iraqi government, in coordination with Turkey—whose primary goal is to end the camp—imposed a harsh siege on it."

The statement continued: "This siege began on April 10 and continues. Despite this, the camp residents have continued to resist, stressing that arrests aimed at breaking their will will not deter them from continuing their struggle until their demands are met."

On the evening of May 14, Iraqi authorities arrested a delegation from the People's Council in Makhmour while returning from Baghdad following an official meeting with the Iraqi Ministry of Justice to discuss the ID card crisis and the siege imposed on the camp.

To date, Iraqi authorities have not issued any official clarifications or statements regarding the reasons for the delegation's arrest or regarding the future of addressing the humanitarian demands of the Makhmour camp residents.

Sh-S

ANHA