Iraqi Kurdistan braces for renewed protests as teachers arrested over unpaid salaries

Tensions are rising in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region as protests are expected to resume on Thursday, driven by growing public anger over the failure of both the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Iraq's federal authorities to pay May salaries to more than one million civil servants and pensioners.

In a bid to prevent demonstrations, security forces in Sulaimaniyah have detained dozens of teachers and civil servants, including several activists who had called for peaceful protests. The arrests began shortly after midnight on Tuesday, according to the opposition group National Stance (Halwest), which reported that 13 of its members were detained–five of them directly outside the group's office.

"Our comrades simply intended to demand their rights peacefully and those of all salary earners in Kurdistan," the group said in a statement, accusing the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan’s (PUK) security forces of violating constitutional rights. "We will never remain silent in the face of salary cuts or the violation of our social and economic rights."

Despite the detentions, protests are set to go ahead.

"Teachers and other public employees are scheduled to demonstrate early on Thursday in Sulaimaniyah to protest over the KRG's failure to pay May salaries," Dilshad Babani, a teacher from the city, told The New Arab. "Civil servants are sceptical that either the Iraqi government or the KRG will resolve the pending salaries soon. The KRG has failed to pay its civil servants even from its local revenues."

Babani said that while activists applied for a permit to hold a peaceful gathering, local authorities denied the request, citing security concerns.

"The authorities claim the security situation isn't suitable for protests, but it's clear they're afraid of public outrage turning into mass mobilisation," he added.

Colonel Salam Abdul Kahiq, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Region’s Security Agency, told TNA in a brief phone call that the issue falls under the jurisdiction of Sulaimaniyah governorate's local security committee. He offered no further comment and did not respond to follow-up inquiries about the arrests.

No space for dissent

Omar Gulpi, an opposition lawmaker in the Kurdistan Parliament from the Kurdistan Justice Group, said his brother Othman Gulpi was among those arrested after posting on Facebook that people should not wait for government permission to protest and had simply written that "peaceful protest is a natural right".

He added that his brother could remain in custody until next week.

"Not paying the people of Kurdistan is a profound injustice. We support every civil demonstration in defence of our people’s livelihoods," Gulpi said.

Regarding the possibility of the demonstrations turning violent, the Kurdish MP said: "Teachers have been protesting peacefully for a decade, asking for their salaries. It is the security forces who might divert the protests into violence. Their duty is to protect–not suppress–the demonstrators."

"The situation is dire. People are crushed, afraid, and completely silenced — there's no movement at all," a Kurdish doctor in Erbil told TNA, speaking on condition of anonymity. "No political leader or party is willing to stand with the people. Meanwhile, the KDP has deployed its security and intelligence forces across busy areas, leaving no room for any public gathering."

"In Erbil, because the KDP is the sole ruler, it controls everything—all the unions, every public institution. They even glare at employees just for showing up to work, warning them not to speak out. There's no political force, especially from the opposition, doing anything beyond empty statements. Their presence or absence in Erbil makes no difference."

The KRG addressed the deepening salary crisis during its weekly cabinet meeting on Wednesday. Speaking at a press conference, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani issued a sharp rebuke of the federal government for not sending the payments. He vowed that if no agreement is reached with Baghdad, the KRG will rely on local revenues, slash spending, and "do everything in its power" to avoid further hardship for the people.

He also called for the protection of oil companies’ rights and production costs, while insisting that "we must all be equal in this country".

Political deadlock

He acknowledged the strain on the private sector and commercial activity, but pledged that the KRG "will never, under any circumstances, abandon the constitutional rights of the people of the Kurdistan Region".

"We are stakeholders and will do everything to ensure rights are distributed fairly and justly."

The crisis stems in part from a decision by Iraq's Ministry of Finance to halt disbursements to the KRG, accusing Erbil of failing to hand over oil and non-oil revenues as mandated by the federal budget law. The ministry said the KRG had exceeded its allocated 12.6 percent share and had refused to implement salary localisation measures, despite repeated warnings and audit reports.

It also blamed the KRG for not transferring oil to the federal State Oil Marketing Organisation (SOMO), alleging losses to the treasury in the "trillions of dinars"–claims the KRG has rejected. In response, the Finance Ministry referred the case to Iraq's Supreme Federal Court, saying it cannot resume payments without a legal mandate.

The court confirmed it had received a lawsuit filed by public sector workers in the Kurdistan Region demanding the resumption of salary payments. The court was expected to issue a decision compelling the Finance Ministry to resume disbursements, but the case has stalled following the resignation of the court's head and nine other judges, leaving the country's highest legal body effectively paralysed.

The lawsuit cites a February 2024 ruling by the same court requiring both the federal and regional governments to coordinate payments and localise salaries through federally supervised banks.

Meanwhile, oil exports from the Kurdistan Region remain suspended. The pipeline to Turkey has been offline since March 2023, following a ruling by the International Chamber of Commerce ordering Ankara to compensate Baghdad $1.5 billion for unauthorised oil exports–a decision that has cost Iraq an estimated $19 billion in lost revenue.

In an attempt to break the deadlock earlier this year, Iraq's parliament amended the federal budget to increase subsidies for international oil companies operating in the region, raising compensation to $16 per barrel. 

In return, the KRG is required to transfer 400,000 barrels per day to SOMO in exchange for its share of the federal budget.

But with trust between Baghdad and Erbil in short supply–and public protests mounting–the coming days may prove to be a critical test for both governments, and for the resilience of an Iraqi Kurdish population worn down by years of broken promises.