On 14 August 2025, Dakok Organisation for Right and Freedom held a peaceful demonstration outside the Iraqi Consulate-General in Manchester to denounce the growing influence and unlawful power of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and other armed militias in Iraq. These militias, established since 2014 and legitimized in 2016, have entrenched themselves as parallel state actors, expanding authority through repression, sectarian violence, and attacks on critical infrastructure, including Iranian-made drone strikes targeting Kurdistan’s oil facilities.
Disturbing Monitoring Practices
During the protest, participants and Dakok activists reported being photographed and filmed by consulate staff from the building, continuing a troubling pattern of surveillance targeting Kurdish activists in Manchester. This marks the third such monitoring incident in Manchester alone:
- 14 November 2024 – Demonstrators exposed electoral fraud during Kurdistan parliamentary elections.
- 4 June 2025 – Coordinated protest against arbitrary imprisonment of Kurdish journalists Sherwan Sherwani and Omed Baroshki.
- 14 August 2025 – Current demonstration against militia expansion and regional instability.
In addition, Dakok activists experienced monitoring during the 5 August 2025 London demonstration, part of UK-wide protests for Sherwani and Baroshki, underscoring the transnational attention and pressure on the Iraqi and Kurdish authorities.
Dakok’s Position
These repeated incidents of filming and surveillance raise serious concerns about the safety and privacy of activists. With no transparency regarding where the recordings are stored, who has access, or how they might be used, participants are left vulnerable to potential reprisals.
Despite these threats, Dakok remains committed to peaceful activism, human rights advocacy, and raising public awareness of injustices in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
“Our mission is to speak truth to power,” said a Dakok representative. “We will continue to expose violations, demand accountability, and protect the rights of Kurds at home and abroad.”
Call for Accountability
Dakok calls on human rights organizations, civil society networks, and the wider public to recognize and condemn these attempts at intimidation. Transparent investigation and accountability by Iraqi diplomatic missions are urgently needed to ensure that peaceful protest remains protected.
About the Author
We are activists of Dakok Organization against the extension of prisons, shirwan sherwany against the injustice that my opposite is doing to activists and journalists