The Kurdish Women’s Peace Office (Cênî) is calling for a demonstration next Wednesday, 11 June, in front of the Iraqi Embassy in Berlin. The reason is the ongoing repression against the Kurdish refugee camp Maxmur in northern Iraq, which has been subjected to a comprehensive embargo and military pressure for years. The protest will begin at 11 a.m. at the embassy, located at Pacelliallee 19-21 in Berlin’s Dahlem district. The goal is to raise awareness of the humanitarian and political situation in the camp and to send a clear message against international indifference.

Embargo, repression, isolation

Maxmur Camp is located southwest of Hewlêr (Erbil), and is considered one of the most politically sensitive refugee camps in the Middle East. It was established in the 1990s by Kurdish refugees from Turkey and is now home to about 12,000 people. The community in the self-administered camp is closely aligned with the Kurdish freedom movement, which has served as justification for repression and violence by the Turkish military, the Iraqi central government, and the Kurdish Regional Government in southern Iraq.

According to Cênî, the situation has worsened in recent months: in addition to arbitrary arrests and restricted movement, the population suffers under an embargo that even blocks access to medical care. The organization harshly criticizes Germany’s foreign policy. In a recent response to a parliamentary inquiry, the German federal government stated it had “no information on the situation on the ground.” 

Call for solidarity

With the rally, the organizers aim to make a public statement against the political isolation of Maxmur and to promote international solidarity.