Zhiar Ali
On April 1, 2021, news said that Asayish set checkpoints around Sulaymaniyah and detained some people they thought were gay. Although a lot of people expressed anger on social media at the operation, seventeen members of Sulaimaniyah's Provincial Council signed a petition supporting the arrests. Ali led Take Action, an online campaign through Yeksani which received broad global support, and helped bring the issue to the attention of Amnesty International, the US Consulate in Erbil, Human Rights Watch, ILGA Asia, and other international, national, and local groups. The decision to conduct the operation was influenced by conservative groups in the region, especially the Kurdistan Justice Group.