Sulaimaniyah, Kurdistan Region 

July 31, 2012 

Metro Center for Defending Journalists’ Rights announces that the response by Mahmud Sangawi, a top PUK official, to the Journalist of Garmian area is a show of disrespect to the Press Law and the program of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and Kurdistan Journalists’ Syndicate. 

In his latest sound record, Mr. Sangawi says, "that who published my photo is not a journalist, and the magazine which published the photo does not have a permission.” He also calls the journalist "this child.”

He also says in his sound record, "my opponents, the enemies of Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, those who collaborate behind the curtain with terrorists and killers in order to kill us, and kill members of the PUK and other parties are probably behind Kawa Garmiani (the Journalist) to right bad things about our officials.”   

We, Metro Center for Defending Journalists’ Rights, reject  publishing libel against any citizen in this country and we previously announced this "libel is a nightmare of freedom; we should not surrender freedom of journalism to the threats of this phenomenon .

Metro Center emphasizes "the sound record of Mr. Mahmud Sangawi is indirectly accusing the Journalist in Garmian of collaborating with terrorists is against reality. The personality of a journalist should not be seen as the personality of a terrorist.” 

"Mr. Mahmud Sangawi is not in a position to decide who is a journalist or not, especially in the case of the journalist in Garmian who is an active member of the Journalists’ Syndicate, the Center contended. 

We, at the Metro Center, reject describing Kawa Garmiani "a child and collaborator with terrorists’ and it is wrong.