Metro Center, Sulaymaniyah: The organizer of the Metro Center called on the Dutch Embassy and Consulate in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq to support the repudiation of the articles in the directive (No. 1 of 2023 on media act in the Kurdistan Region) of the Ministry of Culture of the Kurdistan Regional Government, which are against the provisions of Press Law.

On June 4, 2023, at the head office of Metro Center in the city of Sulaymaniyah, with the participation of journalist (Hemn Mahmoud) Director of Zoom News Foundation, the team of Metro Center welcomed a delegation from the Embassy of the Netherlands.

The delegation involved Bart Hoffman, First Secretary for Political Affairs and Human Rights, Yeli Yokham, Second Secretary for Political Affairs and Human Rights, and Yasser Al Kuti, Senior Advisor for Political Affairs and Human Rights.

In the meeting, the Political Development in the Kurdistan Region and its impact on freedom of Press and Expression were discussed.

Bart Hoffman, First Secretary for Political Affairs and Human Rights, thanked the Metro Center for being an honest and independent center, evaluating and presenting the human rights situations, especially freedom of the press, journalists and expression through their reports to the public.

The coordinator of the Metro Center talked about the recent and new situation and obstacles facing freedom of expression and journalism and focused on the latest directives and rules of the Ministry of Culture of the Kurdistan Regional Government, which was issued by instruction number one of 2023 on media acts in the Kurdistan Region.

Meanwhile, the process of acquiring a permission of Media license, visual and auditory, has been made complicated.  

Rahman Gharib, the coordinator of the Metro Center, declared that "What in Parliament is legislated, should not be deprived of journalists and media agencies by instructions” And he emphasized "We repudiate it in some instructions that are against the articles of Press Law.”

Metro organizer and coordinator requested the civil society organizations, media agencies, the embassy and consulate of Netherlands in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq to support the repudiation of the articles in the instruction (No. 1 of 2023 on media act in the Kurdistan Region) of the Ministry of Culture of Kurdistan Regional Government that are against the articles of Press Law.

"We reject all instructions and ministerial decisions against media agencies that are contrasting the articles of Law No. 35 of 2007 and are against the Press Law." he said