Sulaimani’s LGBT+ community ‘terrified’ after security forces launch crackdown

Dilan Sirwan

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Members of the LGBT+ community have told Rudaw they are scared to leave their homes after security forces launched an operation to arrest “suspected” LGBT+ individuals in the city of Sulaimani, just days after a US human rights report highlighted the dangers the persecuted community face in the Region. 

Operation supervisor Pshtiwan Bahadin told local media on Thursday night that security forces have started a joint operation arresting people they suspect to be LGBT+ for immorality, going on to use derogatory terms to describe the community.

“Following the meeting of the High Security Committee of Sulaimani and after securing the permission from the investigating prosecutor of Sulaimani, it was decided that tonight an operation be carried out to prevent those who are homosexuals in the city of Sulaimani and this operation is with the cooperation of all the security forces,” Bahadin said.    

“We have promised our people that we will not let anyone disrupt the security of this city, and we will continue our efforts tonight and every night. We will investigate people who have arrest warrants, those who perform destructive acts and want to ruin the city,” he added.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) could not be immediately reached for comment.  

“Our lives are not safe. Everyone cancelled all their plans last night. Even I was afraid of going out, in fear of being caught at a checkpoint,” LGBT+ activist Zhiar Ali told Rudaw English on Friday.

“The Asayish [security forces] were arresting people based only on suspicion of being homosexual, without even having done anything wrong,” he added.

“I am terrified. I was close to the scene when it was happening and I was wondering how I could get home. Now that I am home, I do not want to go out again,” said another individual who wished to remain anonymous.

The operation has “dehumanized” the community, another person said.

“We speak a genderless language. We seek no harm, we never have. We only wish to exist within society as normal civilians.”

“This act dehumanized us to the limit."

In a statement issued on Friday afternoon, Sulaimani Asayish said the arrests were part of a crackdown on prostitution in the city and not directed against any group of people.

“Yesterday our forces launched an operation against prostitution in a district of Sulaimani, based on the people’s request,” read the statement. Claiming that prostitution is a growing concern, the Asayish added, “Our target is to end this phenomenon and not any other group or subgroup of people.”

Members of the LGBT+ community face intimidation, threats, violence, and discrimination in the Kurdistan Region, according to a 2020 human rights report released by the US State Department on Tuesday.

“LGBTI individuals reported they could not live openly in the IKR without fear of violence at the hands of family members, acquaintances, or strangers,” it added.

Youth in Sulaimani and across the wider Kurdistan Region have taken to social media to express their outrage and concern at the targeting of a community already incredibly vulnerable in the Region, and Iraq as a whole. 

Many of them address a 2019 tweet by Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region Qubad Talabani, in which he expressed support for equal rights for all citizens in the Kurdistan Region, including the LGBT+ community. 

 

“Last night Asayish detained LGBT people and tortured them. This goes against all human rights. You as a political figure have to take some responsibilities,” one user said. Others on Facebook have also changed their profile pictures to include “Proud Ally”.

LGBT+ and human rights organizations have also expressed concern about the operation and the status of LGBT+ rights in the Region.

“This campaign will put LGBT+ residents of Slemani city and Iraq in an even more vulnerable position,” said Iraqi LGBT+ rights organization IraQueer. “The claims of planning to ‘examine these individuals’ will directly violate these individuals human rights and dignity.”

“The real threat to society is the oppression, the spreading of misinformation, and arbitrary arrests that were led by the Asayish,” IraQueer founder Amir Ashour told Rudaw English on Friday. “They are supposed to uphold the law, but in this case, they were the ones who broke the law and they must be held accountable. No one is above the law.”

Human Rights Watch has said the operation, although disturbing, is not surprising given the persecution LGBT+ individuals face.

“Human Rights Watch is deeply disturbed by reports of an operation last night to arrest individuals purely because of their perceived sexual orientation,” senior researcher at HRW, Belkis Wille told Rudaw English on Friday. “Unfortunately though, this does not come as a surprise- for years armed forces across Iraq have targeted, harassed, tortured and killed people perceived to be part of the LGBT community with total impunity.”

“In the last months in the Kurdistan Region, authorities have targeted organizations viewed to be working with the LGBT community,” Wille added. “When will Iraq finally stand up and protect the rights of all its citizens?”

LGBT+ individuals and organizations have come under increasing attack in the Kurdistan Region over past few months.

Omar Gulpi, a Kurdistan Justice Group (Komal) MP, filed a lawsuit in February against Rasan Organization, a non-profit advocating for LGBT+ rights in the Kurdistan Region,  calling homosexuality a “violation” of public rights and morals.

According to data provided by Ashour to Rudaw English in February, out of more than 250 LGBT+ people interviewed in 2018 who had faced harassment or violence, 32 percent were in the  Kurdistan Region.

“In 2017, we reported 220 LGBT+ killings in Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region,” Ashour added.

 

Updated at 4:53 pm