The Peace and Freedom Organization in Iraqi Kurdistan 2019. Photo: pfo-ku.org
SUALIAMNI, Iraq’s Kurdistan region,— A human rights watchdog on Friday said that it had recorded 83 serious violations of freedom of expression in Iraqi Kurdistan Region during 2019, NRT reported.
The Peace and Freedom Organization released its annual report, which covers incidents that occurred through the end of November.
Violations identified by the group were committed against a total of 151 people, including activists and journalists in Sulaimani, Erbil, Duhok, and Kirkuk. Eleven of those identified were women.
Forty incidents occurred in Sulaimani, 22 in Erbil, 16 in Duhok, and five in Kirkuk, the organization said.
Of the total, 63 violations were committed by members of the Region’s security forces or guards, it said.
Journalist Hemin Mamad told NRT that he had been arrested three times for covering protests and publishing a report criticizing the government.
“The statistics are very dangerous, especially in this cabinet. It has become a military cabinet,” he said, referring to the government of Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, which was formed over the summer.
Member of the Peace and Freedom Organization Rebwar Ahmed told NRT that activists and journalists continue to face threats and physical violence for expressing critical opinions or sharing facts that are embarrassing to powerful figures in the Kurdistan Region.
“The government and related institutions fail to see that freedom of expression is part of the basic rights of the people and activists and journalists always face the threat of being killed for it,” he said.
In May, thirty civil society organizations called on the authorities to refrain from silencing civil rights, political liberty, and freedom of expression in the Kurdistan Region.
“Freedom of speech and criticism must not be silenced and the freedom of the press and journalism must not be restricted,” they said in a statement.
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