Hundreds of people gathered in front of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Parliament in Hewler on Sunday to protest against the ongoing closure of the Semalka border gate for humanitarian aid and trade. The Semalka Border Gate between southern Kurdistan and Rojava was closed by the KRG and its ruling parties on19 May.

The demo which was organized by Kurdistan Democratic Solution Party (PCDK) was joined by representatives and members of the PYD (Democratic Union Party), BDP (Peace and Democracy Party), Hemwelati Azad u Yeksen and Kurdistan Association for Prisoners as well as a number of political parties, NGOs and hundreds of civilians from the Martyr Rüstem Refugee Camp.

Reading the press statement in front of the parliament, PCDK Executive Board member Mam Hejar remarked that the border gate which has been closed for the last three months has recently been opened to immigrants alone, while it still remains closed for the passage of humanitarian aid materials and commercial commodities of the local people engaged in trade.

Hejar called on the regional government to display an attitude against the evacuation of the Rojava region and remarked that this policy, the closure of the border gate, served  the evacuation of the Rojava region and the failure of Kurdish people's achievements.

Hejar listed the demands of demonstrators as follows;

- the opening of the Semalka border gate, the removal of all obstacles to border trade and to the access of humanitarian aids from southern Kurdistan to Rojava

-the practice of efforts to prevent the migration from Rojava

- the ending of southern Kurdistan's ruling parties', especially KDP's intervention in Rojava and respect for Rojava people's right to self-determination

- the prevention of the local government from deceiving Kurdish youths under the cover of Islam and making them fight against Kurds in Rojava

Following the press release, parliament members Berivan Serhan and Semire Goran talked with demonstrators on behalf of the ruling parties of the KRG.

In a statement after the talks, Mam Hejar who attended the talks on behalf of demonstrators said that their demands would be conveyed to the government and the president. Hejar added that the two members of the parliament promised to work on the issue as soon as possible.