ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) continued to repress freedom of expression and peaceful assembly while failing to curb the arbitrary arrests of journalists who express conflicting viewpoints to those of the authorities, Amnesty International said on Tuesday.
In its annual world report for 2022, Amnesty said that the KRG “security forces continued to repress the right to freedom of expression and assembly” and continued to arbitrarily arrest “prosecuted and imprisoned journalists, activists, and perceived critics.”
Kurdish authorities have repeatedly faced harsh criticism for their treatment of journalists as well as imposing restrictive measures on the press.
In addition, Amnesty condemned KRG security forces for utilizing vaguely-worded laws to arrest journalists and releasing them only once a pledge is signed to not cover certain incidents.
An annual US State Department human rights report last week also blasted Iraqi and Kurdish authorities and said that they “arrested suspects in security sweeps without warrants, particularly under the antiterrorism law, and frequently held such detainees for prolonged periods without charge or registration.”
Two days later, the KRG issued a strong response to the report as the KRG Office for the Coordinator of International Advocacy blasted the US for perceived inaccuracies in the report.
“The US State Department’s report is opaque, inaccurate, and presents a double-standard modality about the realities of the Kurdistan Region. The report contains bias and neglects; it fails to mention the Kurdistan Regional Government’s efforts to fight terrorism, which is a major challenge for the region,” Erbil said.
“In the Kurdistan Region, there is a high degree of freedom of expression and the press, with hundreds of media outlets operating freely, most of which are critical of the official authorities,” the KRG response added while explaining that all arrested individuals “were considered to be a direct threat to the security and stability of the region.”
Dindar Zebari, the KRG’s coordinator for international advocacy, reiterated during a press conference on Monday of the Region’s measurable success “in protecting and promoting human rights to a significant extent.”
“This report does not represent the view of a superpower like the US on the Kurdistan Region at all,” Zebari said, referring to the US State Department report.
In January, the US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) criticized KRG in an annual report for using “vaguely worded laws to target critics for expressing criticism and opinions they object to,” referring to the arrests of journalists and activists during antigovernment protests in the Kurdistan Region’s cities, mainly Sulaimani.
In response, the KRG hit back at HRW and said it was a “regional exemplar for essential democratic elements, including the right of freedom of expression and media.”
Metro Center for Journalists Rights and Advocacy, a local media watchdog, said in January that over 400 violations were committed against journalists and media outlets in the Kurdistan Region in 2022.
According to a Reporters Without Borders (RSF) report, Iraq ranks 172nd out of 180 countries in the 2022 World Press Freedom Index, falling even further from 163rd in 2021. The lives of journalists in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region are at risk while covering protests and investigating corruption, according to RSF, who further stated that journalists are at risk of being "harassed, abducted, physically attacked, or even killed by unidentifiable militias."
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