ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Monday said his cabinet “defends and supports” press freedom in the Kurdistan Region, amid international criticism of an Erbil court’s sentencing of five journalists and activists to six years in jail. Barzani received Azad Hamadamin, head of Kurdistan Journalists’ Syndicate, and its council on Monday. He told them that his cabinet has created a suitable atmosphere for press freedom, so that journalists “can play their effective role in society,” according to a statement from Barzani’s office. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) “completely defends and supports the freedom of journalism in Kurdistan so that the journalists can do their work professionally, away from unprofessional agendas - in a way that is in the public’s interest and preserves national achievements,” added the statement citing Barzani. Hamadamin told Barzani that “freedom of press exists in the Kurdistan Region, but the media profession needs to be re-organized legally and professionally in order to prevent the chaos that exists in the media.” The KRG has come under fire by rights groups after Sherwan Sherwani, Shvan Saeed, Ayaz Karam, Hariwan Issa and Guhdar Zebari were sentenced to six years in prison by an Erbil court in mid-February. The journalists and activists are accused of destabilizing the security of the Region. Barzani has previously claimed that the men were “spies” and saboteurs plotting terror attacks against foreign missions, and abductions and assassinations. Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) have spoken out against the court’s ruling, and foreign missions, including the US embassy, are said to be closely following the case. The five are now on hunger strike, Amnesty International said on Friday, adding that they “must be immediately and unconditionally released,” claiming the trial was unfair. The men were arrested in Duhok province last year after anti-government protests over unpaid salaries. Kurdish security forces, known as Asayish, detained over two dozen people, including a teacher whose family says committed no offense. Barzani also told the syndicate that the journalists in the Kurdistan Region “should not allow their sacred profession to be used for defamation, accusation, and damaging societal peace.”
