Journalist violation cases fall by over a third in Kurdistan Region in 2021

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The number of cases of violations committed against journalists in the Kurdistan Region in 2021 has fallen by over a third on the previous year’s figure, a report released by the Kurdistan Journalists' Syndicate (KJS) showed on Thursday, nonetheless still presenting a concerning image of press freedom in the Region which continues to face criticism over allegations of erroneous trials and human rights abuses.

The Committee to Protect Freedom of the Journalists and their Rights, which is a part of the Kurdistan Journalists' Syndicate, published their annual report on Thursday detailing the abuses of journalists’ rights over the course of 2021; both the number of cases of violations, which stands at 79 - including multiple journalists - and the individual total of journalists and organizations faced with abuses including arrests, insults, attacks, and beating, which is reported as 187.

The highest number of violations committed against journalists occurred in the Region’s capital of Erbil, the KJS’s report showed, with 33 reported cases last year, closely followed by 20 cases in Sulaimani.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has been heavily scrutinized recently for their alleged mistreatment of journalists, as well as imposing restrictive measures on the press. Doubtful trials have cast shade on the KRG's public image, with many organizations calling on the KRG to respect press freedom as well as releasing the detained journalists.

Last month, the United Nations Assistance Mission to Iraq (UNAMI) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) released a report highlighting human rights concerns over a number of trials in the Kurdistan Region.

Although the UNAMI report noted that "concrete steps" have been taken in recent months by the Kurdish authorities "toward the protection of the right to freedom of expression,” a few days after its release, the KRG’s Office of the Coordinator for International Advocacy (OCIA) rejected the report’s portrayal of what it called "the situation in Kurdistan."

While the report continues to raise significant concerns about press freedom in the Region, it also illustrates the substantial progress that has been made, with the number of recorded cases of violations (79) 43% fewer than the figure of 138 recorded in its 2020 report.

“Unfortunately, that’s not the whole story,” Goran Jalal Ibrahim, Rapporteur for the Committee to Protect the Freedom of the Journalists and their Rights, told Rudaw English on Friday.

“The reason that 2021’s figures are lower than 2020’s is due to the lesser number of important events that took place. Violations against journalists are higher when important events take place,” he said.

After upwards of a year in pre-trial custody, an Erbil court last November sentenced four Duhok detainees accused of being activists and journalists to jail on national security charges. Masoud Ali Haji and Sherwan Taha Amin were sentenced to 42 months and 30 months respectively, while Abbas Ali and Bandawar Ayub were both given 14 month sentences.

The Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region Masrour Barzani had previously claimed in February that the detained activists and journalists were "spies" and saboteurs, accusing them of plotting terrorist attacks against foreign missions, abductions, and assassinations before their initial sentencing. 

In addition, the KRG's security forces (Asayish) arrested five journalists last year amid harsh crackdowns against protestors.

Despite the KRG backing the arrests, citing infringement of COVID 19-related measures and violent protests, Amnesty International slammed the government for its "ongoing crackdown of protests by way of arbitrary arrests and harassment." Amnesty also called for the immediate release of those detained, and further noted that the crackdown of protestors has created an atmosphere of fear among journalists and activists.

Thirty-three further cases of journalists being prohibited from freely practicing their work were also recorded in 2021. 

Last Tuesday, a local journalist rights watchdog criticized the KRG for barring media outlets from covering government events. Media watchdog Metro Center described the move as "illegal," referring to a press conference held by Dindar Zebari, KRG's coordinator for international advocacy, as an example. Rudaw Media Network and opposition TV channel NRT were not invited to cover the event.

Metro Center also reported that Kurdish security forces and unidentified gunmen assisted in numerous violations against journalists in the Kurdistan Region over the last three months. Journalists from TV channel NRT were the most susceptible to violations according to data compiled by Metro Center. For example, on September 14, a team from NRT was prevented from covering a protest in Zakho. Later that month, an NRT journalist in Halabja was threatened over the phone by a security official.

According to a report by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Iraq ranks 163rd out of 180 countries in the 2021 World Press Freedom Index. 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." 

RSF have also addressed the lack of accountability in persecuting journalists, noting that crimes against journalists go "unpunished" due to lack of, or futile, investigations.

Belkis Wille, senior crisis and conflict researcher at Human Rights Watch (HRW), expressed serious concern regarding the Kurdistan Region's behavior towards journalists and activists in HRW’s annual World Report 2022, published on Thursday.

"It is alarming to see Kurdistan authorities pursuing charges against people for protected speech and without any regard for the flawed nature of their trials," Willie said. "By prosecuting these cases they are sending a clear signal to critical journalists to be silent."