An international press freedom watchdog on Friday said it is "unacceptable” for the Kurdistan Region Government’s (KRG) spokesperson to bar Rudaw Media Network from his press conferences.
"The Kurdistan Regional Government spokesperson Peshawa Hawramani’s decision to bar Rudaw Media Network - or any outlet - from his briefings is unacceptable,” said Doja Daoud, program coordinator in the Levant for the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
Earlier this week, a video went viral on Kurdish social media showing Hawramani confirming to journalists that he had banned Rudaw from attending his press conferences. He also threatened Channel 8’s reporter, who asked a question about Rudaw’s absence, saying that the channel could also be barred if they do not stay in his good graces.
"Excluding journalists in this way is not only discriminatory, it is a clear act of political interference and a direct assault on press freedom in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Authorities must guarantee equal access for all media and immediately put an end to these restrictions,” said Daoud.
The Sulaimani-based Metro Center for Journalists Rights and Advocacy has also condemned Hawramani’s decision.
"It is not the spokesperson's job to use his press conferences to attack or discriminate against [media outlets],” Metro said in a statement on Thursday. "It is not his job to turn [the press conference] into a classroom to give lectures on journalistic ethics.”
Rudaw was invited to the press conference, which was held in Erbil on Wednesday, but its reporter was not let in. Rudaw has not been allowed to any of Hawramani's press conferences for more than three years.
Rudaw Media Network, headquartered in the Kurdistan Region capital city Erbil, is a leading Kurdish media outlet that delivers news and analysis on the Kurdistan Region and the world via its 24-hour satellite TV channel, digital media, radio and research center. It also publishes content in Sorani and Kurmanji dialects of Kurdish, as well as Arabic, English and Turkish on its website.
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