Metro Center slams raids on NGO offices in Sulaimani, Kurdistan

Metro Center slams raids on NGO offices in Sulaimani, Iraqi Kurdistan — The Metro Center for Journalists’ Rights and Advocacy, Sulaimani, Iraqi Kurdistan, September 2025. Photo: iKurd.net

SULAIMANI,— A Kurdish press freedom group has denounced raids on the offices of local and international organizations in Sulaimani city, saying the actions amounted to unlawful seizures that threaten the work of civil society groups in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region.

The Metro Center for Journalists’ Rights and Advocacy said in a statement on Sunday, that armed men stormed a building known as the Paya office in the Sarchnar neighborhood.

The building, located near the Lalezar Hotel and the residence of former Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) co-chair Lahur Sheikh Jangi Talabani, was raided during clashes in the nearby Lalezar area.

According to Metro, the Paya office serves as headquarters for several groups: Youth Development Organization, Paya Agency, Art Plus, Iraqi and Kurdistan Waterkeepers, and the Italian-based Un Ponte Per (UPP), a nonprofit working in Iraq, the Middle East and North Africa.

The advocacy center said the raiders confiscated a large amount of equipment and property.

The seized items included a safe box with project funds, four printers, a Thuraya satellite phone, several computer sets, nine laptops, three digital projectors, three Sony and Canon cameras, Mi-Fi devices from AsiaCell, FastLink and IQ, a money counter, multiple television screens, staff passports, mobile phones, speakers, headphones, uninterruptible power supply devices and other office electronics.

Metro reported that the armed group also took everyday belongings belonging to employees, including toothbrushes, razors and clothing. In addition, other organizations reported the loss of sewing machines, an overlock machine, embroidery equipment, an electric drill, wallets containing cash and handbags.

Several sources told Metro, on condition of anonymity, that the raid occurred in the early morning hours of August 22, during heavy fighting in Lalezar.

The center said it confirmed the information directly with the affected organizations, though none of them would provide public statements, citing fears for their safety.

Metro condemned the raid, saying the targeted groups have no links to political disputes or the recent armed clashes. “The confiscation of their property has no legal basis,” the statement said.

“It prevents them from carrying out their projects and risks making the Kurdistan Region unsafe for international organizations.”

The group demanded that the stolen property be returned, that the organizations receive financial compensation for damages, and that authorities issue an official apology.

It also called on independent media outlets to investigate the raid and report the findings to the public.

Founded in August 2009 by Kurdish journalists and human rights defenders, Metro has documented press freedom in Iraq for more than a decade.

The center was established with support from the U.S.-based Institute for War and Peace Reporting and has partnered with groups including Norwegian People’s Aid, International Media Support, Gulf Center for Human Rights, Internews, IRI, and the U.S. State Department.