SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Freedom of the press is being restricted day by day in the Kurdistan Region, a local watchdog warned on Tuesday, saying that “no journalists are protected” in the Region.
On the World Press Freedom Day, Reporters Organization for Rights and Developments said journalists in the Kurdistan Region cannot execute their job freely.
The organization also accused Kurdistan parliament of violations against journalists, saying it “discriminates” between journalists when it provides them with information.
“The government institutions are about to engage in the discrimination,” it said in a statement.
The Kurdish watchdog added that the security forces continued to arrest and threat journalists and to break journalist equipment.
It called on the Region’s presidency, government and parliament to respect international decisions and agreements in order not to “discredit the Kurdistan Region”.
Several journalists who were detained in Duhok province in 2020 were given prison sentences in Erbil last year. Many others remained in jail pending trial.
