Regional shutdown
Mobile Internet Services
Sulaymaniyah
In early December 2020, violent protests erupted in Sulaymaniyah and other parts of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) as civil servants and local residents demonstrated against months of unpaid salaries and economic mismanagement. The unrest led to clashes with security forces, resulting in multiple deaths and the torching of several political party offices.
To curb the mobilization of protesters and restrict the dissemination of footage showing the heavy-handed security response, authorities implemented localized digital restrictions. These measures included blocking social media platforms and messaging apps, as well as temporary regional shutdowns of mobile internet services. Human rights monitors noted that the digital blackout hindered the documentation of potential abuses during the crackdown, which Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi condemned while calling for an end to the violence against peaceful demonstrators.
- Total Duration 23 hours
Iraq
- Population
- 47,020,774
Freedom House rates Internet freedom as Partly Free