Students from universities and institutes across the Kurdistan Region protested on Tuesday (November 23) for the third day demanding the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) resume issuing their monthly stipends.
The students gathered outside universities and institutes in Sulaimani, Erbil and Halabja governorates, as well as in Soran, Raparin and Garmian.
One protester outside of Sulaimani University said, “I don’t have any hope in the government but I’m here to ask for what is ours.”
“I was not here yesterday but after I saw the police using force against students, I decided to join the protest,” she said.
A protester in Halabja said, “We are here to ask the government to give back what is ours.”
“We are fully against using violence and don’t want anyone to get hurt,” he added.
Footage from student protests on Tuesday showed security forces spraying tear gas into crowds in front of the new campus of the University of Sulaimani.
The KRG suspended the payments of student stipends, that help cover the cost of transportation and living expenses, in response to the financial crisis that began in 2014.
