ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Over 400 violations were committed against journalists and media outlets in the Kurdistan Region over the past year, a local media watchdog announced on Monday.
Four hundred and thirty one violations were committed against 301 journalists and media outlets, the Metro Center for Journalists Rights and Advocacy said in its 2022 annual report.
The violations include 195 obstructions, 26 physical assaults, 64 arrests without a court order, one case of closing down a media outlet’s office, two house raids, and 68 cases of confiscation and damaging journalists’ equipment.
"In 2022, the behavior of security forces towards journalists during the coverage of events has not changed. In fact, some journalists were arrested at their homes before going to cover demonstrations,” director of the media watchdog Rahman Gharib said.
Kurdish authorities repeatedly face harsh criticism for their treatment of journalists as well as imposing restrictive measures on the press.
"Even after 32 years of joint rule between the two leading parties in the Kurdistan Region, journalists continue to endure assaults and violations while doing their duty,” Gharib added, adding that the majority of these violations were committed by security forces.
An annual report by US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday slammed the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) for using "vaguely worded laws to target critics for expressing criticism and opinions they object to,” referring to the arrests of journalists and activists during antigovernment protests in the Kurdistan Region’s cities, mainly Sulaimani.
The KRG issued a response to the HRW report later on Thursday, saying it was a "regional exemplar for essential democratic elements, including the right of freedom of expression and media.”
During the Sulaimani protests on August 5 and 6, Metro director Gharib issued a statement criticizing the behavior of the security forces.
"It has become clear to us that the security forces are targeting journalists during protests rather than protecting them,” Gharib said at the time, claiming that authorities are afraid of journalists as they reveal their "illegal behavior.”
Reporters without Borders (RSF) in August blasted the Kurdistan Region’s authorities for targeting journalists linked to rival political parties.
"As so often in this complex region, journalists are caught in the trap of the rivalry between the various Kurdish political parties. The ruling authorities do not tolerate pluralism,” Sabrina Bennoui, the RSF Middle East desk head, said at the time.
According to an RSF report, Iraq ranks 172nd out of 180 countries in the 2022 World Press Freedom Index, falling even further from 163rd in 2021. The lives of journalists in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region are at risk while covering protests and investigating corruption, according to RSF, who further stated that journalists are at risk of being "harassed, abducted, physically attacked, or even killed by unidentifiable militias."
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