Journalists under continued threat in Iraqi Kurdistan

Adding to Iraq’s already dire record of press freedom, the country’s Kurdistan region saw over 350 violations of journalists in 2011. A new report by Kurdistan’s Metro Center for the Defense of Journalists details the attacks

Released by the IMS-supported “Northern Iraq Kurdistan’s Metro Center for Defense of Journalists”, the report gives a full account of 359 reported violations over the course of 2011.

An increase in aggressive incidents

The violations cover, among other things 85 cases of beating, 57 threat cases, and 4 fire attacks, representing an increase in the attacks on media workers:

– Last year we witnessed an escalation of aggressive incidents against journalists in the Kurdistan Region, due to the political developments there. In February and April alone, 200 violations were reported in connection with several demonstrations, acting Director for the Metro Center, Rahman Gharib, told the Iraqi news agency, Aswat al-Iraq as the report was published.

Demonstrations in Kurdistan’s city of Sulaimaniya, saw 1 dead and at least 57 injured in February, as demonstrators protested against corruption and lack of basic services and unemployment.

In its most recent report on Iraq, Reporters without Borders indicates that the country’s rank in the press freedom index in 2011 dropped from 130 to 152. This ranking also covers Kurdistan, which for many years offered a refuge for journalists who escaped violence in other parts of the country.

With over 151 confirmed killings of media workers since 2003 according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Iraq continues to be one of the most dangerous countries in the world to work as a professional journalist.

IMS has been actively supporting independent Iraqi media since 2005 by strengthening the professional skills of Iraqi journalists and providing guidelines on safety measures.