Two arrested over shooting of Kurdish Journalist Hemin Mamend

SULAIMANI,— Security forces in Sulaimani said Thursday they have detained two men accused of taking part in the shooting of Iraqi Kurdish journalist and activist Hemin Mamend earlier this week. Authorities described the incident as a planned assassination attempt.

The Sulaimani Asayish Directorate said in a statement that its forces located and arrested two suspects following the Tuesday night shooting in the Aqari neighborhood of Sulaimani city in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region.

According to the agency, the men, both residents of Bnaslawa in Erbil, fired several rounds at Mamend from a motorcycle, hitting him twice before escaping. A court later authorized their detention under Article 31/406 of the Iraqi Penal Code.

Two other suspects connected to the case fled toward Erbil governorate and remain at large, the directorate added.

Mamend, a presenter for Sterk TV, is widely known for his criticism of the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Barzani family. He has faced multiple legal cases in Erbil, including a warrant issued several years ago after a 2019 report.

He later escaped Erbil and relocated to Sulaimani, an area controlled by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), which is regarded as more tolerant of press freedom and operates separately from KDP-controlled territories. There, Mamend continued his work with a channel affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party.

The journalist was attacked as he left a restaurant in Sulaimani. One bullet struck his arm, another his waist, and a third damaged his vehicle. He is currently being treated in a hospital, officials said.

The Asayish Directorate stated that further information on the plot and those involved would be made public later.

Rights groups have often criticized conditions for media workers in Iraqi Kurdistan Region, noting that dozens of journalists and activists remain jailed in KDP-controlled territories, many serving long terms in difficult conditions.