Peregraf
The Metro Center for the Protection of Journalists’ Rights has revealed that during the clashes in Sulaymaniyah’s Lalazar area, armed forces raided a building housing several local and international organizations and seized their equipment — from office tools to personal belongings.
Seventeen days after the incident, which took place near the Lalazar Hotel in the Sarchnar neighborhood, Metro confirmed that the raid targeted the offices of cultural, environmental, and international NGOs, including the Talented Organization for Youth Development, Paya Agency, Art Plus, Iraqi and Kurdistan Water Defenders, and the Italian humanitarian group UPP.
In a statement, Metro described the confiscations as highly unusual and damaging. “The forces took all items in the offices, including project money safes, laptops, datasheets, cameras, Wi-Fi devices, TV screens, employee passports, mobile phones, UPS systems, and even personal items like toothbrushes, shavers, and wallets,” the organization reported. Other items listed included sewing machines, drills, irons, and cash counters.
Metro stressed that it had confirmed the information from several reliable sources, but expressed surprise that neither the affected organizations nor their staff had spoken publicly about the incident. “Seventeen days have passed and there is silence. No one is willing to speak on behalf of himself or his organization,” the statement read.
Calling the raid and confiscation a “clear violation of international humanitarian law and an obstruction to the work of civil and international organizations,” Metro warned that such actions risk placing the Kurdistan Region in the “red zone” for foreign NGOs, potentially undermining years of effort to build trust and cooperation with international partners.
The center demanded an apology and full compensation for the losses, urging authorities to ensure protection of the offices and assets of local and foreign organizations. “All parties must protect the offices of NGOs, rather than attack and strip them of their equipment,” the statement said.
Founded in 2009 with the support of the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR), the Metro Center has consistently documented violations of press and human rights in the Kurdistan Region, publishing 14 annual reports. This latest warning underscores growing concerns that civil society space in Sulaymaniyah is under increasing pressure amid political and security turmoil following the Lalazar conflict.