Assaults on journalists in Kurdistan drop 22% in 2024
Shafaq News/ The Metro Center for Journalists’ Rightsrevealed in its 2024 annual report a significant 22% decrease in assaults onjournalists in the Kurdistan Region compared to 2023.
The member of the center, Sivan Azad, said in a pressconference attended by Shafaq News, "The report recorded 182 cases ofassaults involving 176 journalists and media institutions, down from 231 casesdocumented in 2023."
Azad explained that “the report categorized the violationsagainst journalists, which included physical, psychological, and cyberattacks.”
It documented three journalist killings during their work,reflecting the grave risks faced by media professionals in the region.
“Additionally, there were 24 cases of arbitrary detentionwithout judicial warrants,” she added.
Regarding equipment and tools, the report noted 17 caseswhere journalists’ equipment was confiscated during coverage, along with twocases involving the destruction of press tools, underscoring the obstaclesfaced by journalists in performing their duties.
The report also recorded 27 cases of physical assault andthreats, highlighting the continued exposure of journalists to physical andpsychological violence while on duty.
“As for restrictions on media coverage, 103 cases of bans onfilming were documented, the highest number among all reported violations,” Azadrevealed.
In the digital domain, the report detailed 60 cases ofonline attacks, including smear campaigns and account hacking, signaling thegrowing digital risks threatening journalists.
Calling for government bodies and relevant institutions toprotect journalists’ rights in the Kurdistan Region, Metro Center emphasized “theneed to enforce laws that safeguard press freedom and hold accountable thoseresponsible for violations.”
While the reduction in violations is notable, the reportstressed that “the path toward sustainable press freedom remains long,” highlightingthat any continuation of these violations, in any form, constitutes a directthreat to democratic values and human rights.
Last week, the Kurdistan Journalists Syndicate (KJS)reported a significant decrease in violations against journalists in theKurdistan Region during 2024.
During a press conference, Mohammed Aqrawi, a member of theSyndicate, announced that the annual report recorded 43 incidents affecting 73journalists across the Kurdistan Region.
The report also noted 13 cases in Erbil, 9 each in Duhok andAl-Sulaymaniyah, 5 in the Soran Administration, 3 in the GarmyanAdministration, 2 in Halabja, and additional cases involving Kurdistan Regionjournalists in Kirkuk and Nineveh, with 2 and 3 cases, respectively.
The KJS reported 45 cases of violations against media andjournalists' rights in 2023, compared to 73 cases in 2022.
According to KJS statistics, a total of 1,289 violationswere recorded against journalists over a 15-year period from 2008 to 2022.
