SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The U.S. Consul General in Erbil said he is “concerned” about the rights of components, and backsliding human rights, freedom of expression, and freedom of the press in the Kurdistan Region.
U.S. Consul General Irvin Hicks JR. expressed concern about the situation of rights of components living in Kurdistan, saying “There is a backslide in rights of components in a certain area of the Kurdistan Region,” he said in a televised interview.
“In some parts of Kurdistan we see an irritating backslide in rights of components and we are concerned,” he said.
“If we want to be a real partner of the Kurdistan Region we must say the truth,” he added.
“The U.S. believes that journalists must be able to be allowed and deliver the news without fear, intimidation, harassment, and vengeance.”
