Violations against Iraqi Kurdish journalists decline, impunity prevails








A climate of insecurity and impunity prevailed in 2014 despite decrease in attacks on journalists, says the IMS-supported media rights group Metro Center in Iraqi Kurdistan

A total of 107 journalists had their rights violated in 2014 in Iraqi Kurdistan—a drop from 167 in 2013, says Metro Center in its latest Annual Report.

Despite the decline, 2014 saw impunity levels maintained—a discouraging development in light of a March 2014 agreement between security forces and journalists which pushes Iraqi Kurdistan’s parliament to improve the persecution of those who violate the rights of journalists.

"Just like in previous years, those who violated the rights of journalists went unpunished making 2014 a year of near total impunity for those who attack press freedom in Iraqi Kurdistan,” said Metro Center.

Four journalists covering the conflict with Islamic State in Iraqi Kurdistan have gone missing over the past year, says the report. In addition, one reporter, Deniz Furat, was killed during his coverage of fighting between Kurdish Peshmerga forces, Syrian Kurdistan YPG forces and Islamic State.

Most journalists attacked come from independent or semi-independent media houses or outlets owned by political opposition parties. Security forces and supporters of political parties account for the majority of the violations, says the report. The majority of the rights violations documented by Metro Center in 2014 prevented journalists from doing their work through equipment confiscation, intimidation or physical assault.

Near total impunity

Iraq remains one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists with five journalists killed last year alone. Although the country’s Kurdistan region is considered relatively calm, journalists in the area are still frequent victims of rights violations, attacks, and killings.

Numbers vary, but the country has seen between 149 and 160 journalists killed as a direct result of their work between 2003 and 2013, says IMS’ partner in Iraq, the media freedom watchdog Journalistic Freedoms Observatory (JFO) and the U.S.-based press freedom group, Committee to Protect Journalists respectively.

Close to zero of the perpetrators of these murders have been brought to justice, making for an alarming impunity rate in Iraq of nearly 100%.

Intimidation and killing of journalists is meant to do one thing: silence them, says Osama al-Habahbeh, IMS’ programme manager for Iraq:

"The murder cases that remain unsolved spread fear and self-censorship, crippling the work of the media and keeping journalists in a constant state of anxiety.”

By working with national organisations like Metro Center that defend and promote the rights of journalists, IMS seeks to break the cycle of impunity, which reproduces self-censorship and fear.

Metro Center presented its 2014 findings on rights violations in Iraqi Kurdistan in Sulaymaniyah on 17 January following a minute of silence for the journalists killed during the attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on 7 January.
 

(IMS)


PM:01:31:22/01/2015




viewer 732