SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The Metro Center for Journalists’ Rights and Advocacy said on Saturday that it had recorded as many as 385 cases of violations against journalists and media stations in 2020.
The Metro Center released its annual report about journalism in the Kurdistan Region on Saturday.
The watchdog said it had recorded 385 violations against 291 journalists and media stations in the Kurdistan Region during 2020.
It added that there were 163 cases of preventing journalists from covering, 74 cases of detention without court’s order, 48 cases of threats, beating and insults, 42 cases of confiscating equipment of journalism, and 30 cases of detention outside journalism law.
The other cases included harassment against female journalists, breaking equipment of journalism, closure of channels, and threats and disruption of broadcast, according to the Metro center.
On December 7, the Kurdistan Journalists’ Syndicate said it had recorded 138 violations against journalists in 2020.
Forty-six cases were registered in Erbil, 36 in Sulaimani, 14 in Duhok, 17 in Halabja and 25 others in Kirkuk, the syndicate added.
Peace and Freedom Organization (PFO) said last month that it had recorded 207 cases of violations of freedoms of expression and of media in the Kurdistan Region last year.
“The freedom of expression is worsening day by day in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region,” the PFO said.
On January 6, two guards of the Kurdistan parliament attacked Esta Media Network reporter Ayub Ali and his cameraman Yousif as they were getting remarks from a lawmaker inside the parliament.
Parliament Speaker apologized on Jan. 11 to the reporter and the cameraman for the attack during a meeting with them in parliament.
The speaker promised to investigate the incident and the guards who attacked them, Ali said following his meeting with Fayaq.
