Kurdish journalist Hemin Mamend shot in Sulaimani, Iraqi Kurdistan

SULAIMANI,— Kurdish journalist, activist and television presenter Hêmin Mamend was shot and wounded in Sulaimani city in Iraqi Kurdistan on Tuesday evening, security officials and rights groups said.

Local reports said Mamend was targeted by two armed men on a motorcycle in the Aqari district.

He was leaving a restaurant when gunmen opened fire, hitting him twice. One bullet hit his arm and another struck his waist. A third bullet hit his car.

Medical staff at Shar Hospital said he underwent emergency surgery but that his condition was stable and his life was not in danger.

Mamend, a presenter at Sterk TV, has been a well-known critic of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Barzanis.

Authorities in Erbil issued a warrant for him several years ago after he was sued over a 2019 report.

He later fled to Sulaimani city, which is under the control of the rival Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and outside the authority of the KDP. The PUK is regarded as more tolerant of press freedom, and Mamend continued his work there with a broadcaster affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

The Kurdish Security Agency confirmed the incident and said an investigation has begun. “The Asayish has opened a case into the shooting of activist and journalist Hemin Mamend to identify those responsible,” Colonel Salam Abdul Khaliq, a spokesperson for the agency, said in a statement.

Karwan Anwar, head of the Journalists Syndicate in Sulaimani, said the syndicate condemns the shooting. “We stand against any attempt to silence journalists,” Anwar said.

He added that Mamend’s injuries are not life-threatening and confirmed that he spoke to the journalist after the attack.

The Metro Center for Journalists’ Rights described the shooting as an assassination attempt. “We demand clarity on who benefits from silencing Mamend,” said Metro director Diyari Mohammed.

He noted that Mamend has faced multiple legal pressures in recent years and has often been described as a dissenting voice.

No arrests were reported as of Tuesday night. Police in Sulaimani did not immediately comment when contacted by local media.

The Sulaimani branch of the Journalists Syndicate also issued a statement, calling the attack “a dangerous assault on press freedom.” The group urged security agencies to bring the perpetrators to justice and ensure the protection of journalists in the region.

The PUK party has issued a strong condemnation following the attack on journalist Mamend. In a statement, the party described the incident as a “frightening plan” and rejected any intentions of terrorism in all forms.

The PUK called on security agencies to carry out a thorough investigation, identify those responsible, and ensure they are held accountable under the law.

According to local observers, media outlets affiliated with the Barzani-led KDP Party in Erbil did not report on the shooting. The assassination attempt was ignored by pro-Barzanis channels and newspapers, which published no coverage of the incident.

In a separate development in August, authorities in Erbil extended the prison term of prominent Kurdish journalist Sherwan Amin Sherwani by four years, issuing a new sentence shortly before his expected release. Rights activists said the repeated prosecutions are part of what they describe as a strategy by the Barzani leadership to suppress dissenting voices.

(With files from Agencies)