Nearly 250 farmers along with delegates from human rights and accompaniment NGOs working in the Magdalena Medio, donor agencies, and the director of INCODER, among others, met in Puerto Maltilde on 16 February 2011 to witness the act of institutional recognition

On 5 March 2011, thirty-five-year-old Ayoub joined with approximately 200 young people for an all-night vigil at Freedom Square in Suleimaniya.  At midnight, he lay down in his tent to rest.  Ayoub had been on a hunger strike for the past twelve days and planned to continue until the government answered the demands of the people who had been demonstrating for eighteen straight days.

 At 2:30 a.m., the morning of 6 March, Ayoub heard people yelling “Wake up, wake up” For a moment, he thought, “Parliament has come with good news.”  Within seconds, he knew there was trouble.  “When I woke up, I didn't want to believe the Kurdish authorities would do this,” Ayoub said.