suli- hevi khalid

Metro Center for Defending Journalist Rights published its 2014 annual report on the violations against journalist rights in Iraqi Kurdistan. In a press conference on Monday, January 17th, 2015 in Titanic Hotel - Sulaimani, Iraq, Metro announced that, in 2014, its volunteers recorded 210 of various types of violations against 107 journalists.  Those violations were categorized as following:

Beating: 46 incidences

Shooting at:2 incidences

Killing: 1 incidence

Injuring: 1 incidence

Kidnapping:1 incidence

Unlawful Arrest: 12 incidences

Threats: 9 incidences

Prevention from Journalistic Task: 80 incidences

Seizer of Journalistic Equipment: 29 incidences

Breaking Journalistic Equipment: 16 incidences

Insults: 6 incidences

Intimidating Visits to Residence: 1 incidences

Segregation:6 incidences

The report illustrates that despite the fact that, in sheer numbers, fewer journalists were victims of violations in2014 than the previous 3 years, since Metro started documenting those violations (107 in 2014 vs. 167 in 2013, 132 in 2012, and 359 in2011), but "there still persists a work atmosphere that does not provide basic guarantees for the life and safety of journalists in their daily pursuit of news and information.”

In addition, 2014 report points out that since the ISIL (ISIS) attacks on Kurdistan region in June 2014 and up to the date of issuing the report, 4 journalists who were tasked with covering the war fronts are missing, and one reporter, Deniz Furat, was killed during his coverage of the fight of Peshmerga and YPG forces against ISIL in Maxmoor – Erbil. 

Metro’s report presents 2014 as disheartening year in the area of implementing Journalistic Work, and Freedom of Information Laws. "Just like the years passed, violations against journalists went undeterred and violators were never punished. 2014 is, therefore, can be labeled as yet another year of breaking laws and escaping punishment.”