International condemnation of violence, intimidation in Sulaymaniyah

The death toll among the protests in Sulaymaniyah, Başûr Kurdistan has risen to 6 dead and dozens of wounded, according to what medical and official sources confirmed today to Agence France-Presse.

After a protester was shot dead in the town of Jamjmal on Monday afternoon, two other protesters were killed at night in two other areas, according to a local official and the High Commission for Human Rights in Baghdad. Local officials, medical personnel and the authority confirmed to "AFP" that at least three other protesters were killed on Tuesday afternoon in two towns.

In a related context, the Iraqi News Agency confirmed the imposition of a curfew in the cities of Sulaymaniyah, Halabja, Rabrin and the Garmian administration.

For its part, the United Nations Mission in Iraq condemned the violence in Sulaymaniyah, and urged the authorities to protect freedom of assembly and expression.

In a statement issued today, the mission condemned the "acts of violence that accompanied public protests in Sulaymaniyah governorate in recent days, which resulted in a number of deaths and injuries and the destruction of property."

It stressed the need to "protect the right to peaceful protests," adding that "it is imperative that the demonstrations remain peaceful."

It added: "Media outlets should be allowed to report news freely without intimidation or pressure. Investigations must begin immediately to identify the perpetrators of violence and hold those people fully accountable."

The mission called for a calm, and urged the Kurdistan region authorities to preserve freedom of assembly and expression.

D.H