Weakened by hunger, Al- Sulaymaniyah protesters suspend strike
Shafaq News/ Hunger-striking protesters in Al-Sulaymaniyah suspended their strike on Tuesday after their health deteriorated forcing their transfer to the hospital for treatment.
“This suspension does not mean the end of our movement; it is a new step toward escalating protests through other peaceful means,” protester Mohammad Ahmed told Shafaq News.
“We will not stop until our demands are met. We will continue demonstrations and sit-ins because our rights cannot be ignored or delayed,” he added.
The Protest
The protests in Al-Sulaymaniyah began on January 25, 2025, when a group of public employees gathered to demand the payment of their salaries. As their calls went unanswered, 13 protesters escalated their movement by launching a hunger strike on February 5. Their key demands include the release of unpaid wages for December 2024 and January 2025, the transfer of civil service salaries to federal banks, and a long-term solution to financial disputes between Baghdad and Erbil, which have left thousands of workers without stable income.
As the hunger strike entered its second week, the health of the protesters deteriorated significantly, prompting medical intervention. Several participants experienced severe weakness, dehydration, and loss of mobility, according to doctors treating them.
Dr. Karwan Mahmoud, a physician at the hospital where the strikers were admitted, confirmed that at least three individuals lost partial motor function due to prolonged fasting.
“These patients are in critical condition. Their blood sugar levels are dangerously low, and some are struggling with muscle atrophy,” Dr. Mahmoud told Shafaq News. “One protester collapsed due to severe dehydration and had to be placed on IV fluids immediately.”
Despite these severe health concerns, movement spokesperson Othman Kolbi stressed that the protesters were committed to their cause. “This hunger strike was a decision they made freely, and no one has pressured them to stop,” Kolbi said on Monday. He dismissed media reports suggesting outside influence, emphasizing that the movement is entirely civic and non-political.
His comments came in response to claims by a media outlet affiliated with the New Generation Movement (Al-Jeel Al-Jadeed-NGM), which alleged that political parties had pressured the strikers to abandon their protest.
