The French consulate in the Kurdistan Region on Saturday issued a statement condemning the "arbitrary detention” of a French journalist and his fixer in Sulaimani the day before. 

The statement did not detail what led up to the incident, but thanked "the authorities who have contributed to the resolution of the situation.” 

According to Sulaimani security forces (Asayish), the journalist and fixer were in a dangerous area with drones flying overhead and they were "moved to Sulaimani for their own safety.”

Kurdistan Region authorities frequently come under fire for their treatment of journalists and imposing restrictions on freedom of the press. 

Sulaimani-based press freedom monitor Metro recorded over 400 violations against journalists in the Kurdistan Region last year, including 64 arrests without a court order. 

The French consulate said it "deplores the recurrent attacks on freedom of the press and the rights of journalists throughout the autonomous Kurdistan region, of which this incident is a further illustration.”

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has defended its record, saying it values the rights of freedom of expression and the media. 

"In the Kurdistan Region, there is a high degree of freedom of expression and the press, with hundreds of media outlets operating freely, most of which are critical of the official authorities,” the KRG said in March in response to a United States report on human rights that criticised Erbil’s record.