The UK Home Office, in its latest official report on the human rights situation, freedom of expression, critics, and political opposition in the Kurdistan Region, has drawn on reports, data, and monitoring conducted by Metro Center and Alliance Network 19. It has also cited Rahman Gharib, coordinator of Metro Center, as a key source of information.
The UK government report, published under the title, (Country policy and information note: opposition to the government in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), Iraq, September 2026), places particular emphasis on the situation of journalists, activists, and freedom of civil society activity in the Kurdistan Region. In assessing the situation, it relies on statistics and monitoring conducted by local advocacy organizations.
The UK government's official report serves as a reference for relevant authorities, courts, and immigration bodies in the United Kingdom when considering asylum claims. It extensively discusses the environment in which critics, journalists, and civil society activists in the Kurdistan Region face obstacles and pressure from the authorities and security forces. To document and corroborate violations and pressure affecting press freedom, the report also draws on reports and information recorded by Metro Center and Alliance Network 19. It identifies Rahman Gharib as a source of testimony, a key source of information, and a professional monitor whose work has provided evidence-based documentation of the situation of journalists' rights and freedom of expression in the region.
In one section, the report describes the state of press freedom and media work as among the principal areas of concern. It notes that journalists and media workers, particularly those covering corruption, governance issues, human rights violations, and protests, continue to face risks of intimidation, threats, arbitrary arrest, physical assault, violence, restrictions on their work, and prosecution.
The report also addresses the political situation and the activities of opposition parties and critical groups. It notes that, although political activity and participation in elections and voting are legally permitted, activists and critical figures have, in practice, faced varying degrees of abuse and violence by security forces during protests or when expressing their views.
Regarding the right to protest and public assembly, the report explains that demonstrations related to unpaid salaries, poor public services, and corruption have, in some cases, faced security intervention, the use of force, and arbitrary arrests. At the same time, it acknowledges that many demonstrations have also taken place without security intervention.
In its concluding section, the report emphasizes that ordinary members and supporters of political parties face a lower level of risk. However, opposition leaders, journalists, prominent activists, and outspoken critics of the Kurdistan Region's authorities are more likely to face negative attention and pressure from security agencies and party-affiliated forces. In this regard, the information provided by Metro Center and Alliance Network 19 serves as a credible basis for international actors seeking to understand the true extent of violations and the human rights situation in the Kurdistan Region.