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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The new US Consul General to Erbil called for the freedom of expression and press in his first public appearance on Monday.
“The United States believes that journalists should be able to report without restrictions or fear of retaliation,” Robert Palladino said on his second day as US Consul General to Erbil.
The remarks were made at the graduation ceremony of the Minority Journalist Training Program.
“There should be no government efforts to restrict the freedom of media and expression,” Palladino added.
The Minority Journalist Training Program was a three day event held by the Civil Development Organization (CDO) and Metro Center, and was funded by the US State Department.
“Americans believe strongly that a free press is one of the cornerstones for democracy, and we value the role of journalists because it is the role of journalists that hold the powerful accountable and ask the tough questions,” he said.
The consul general's statements come as the Kurdistan Region has come under fire for unfair treatments of journalists and violations of press freedom.
A total of 49 violations were committed against journalists in the Kurdistan Region in the first four months of the year, according to the Metro Center.
The Committee to Protect Journalists CPJ in March said that the Region has “dropped the pretense of caring about press freedom,” following the sentencing of Duhok journalists to six years in prison on alleged national security charges.
Prime Minister Masrour Barzani in March said his cabinet “defends and supports” press freedom in the Kurdistan Region in a meeting with the head of Kurdistan Journalists’ Syndicate. 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.
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