Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Violations against journalists in the Kurdistan Region decreased by 27 percent in 2024, a media watchdog said in their annual report on Saturday, however stressing that violations are still ongoing and there is still work that needs to be done.

 

The Metro Center for Journalists Rights and Advocacy’s annual report on Saturday indicated a total of 182 violations against 176 journalists and media outlets in 2024.

 

The report documented all cases of violations during the year, including cases of arrests, equipment confiscation, threats, and three cases of death via cross border drone operations.

 

The report indicated that the violations rate has reduced in 2024 compared to 2023. According to the report, in 2023, a total of 231 violations were recorded, which saw a 27 percent decrease in 2024.

 

In their 2023 report, Metro Center said that there were a total of 431 cases of violation recorded in 2022.

 

Of the violations recorded in 2024, 90 percent were against male journalists, while ten percent were against female journalists, however the difference does not indicate that female journalists faced less violations, but it is due to the relatively low amount of women in the field in the Kurdistan Region.

 

Metro Center Director Rahman Gharib on Saturday said that their center will continue their work "on the basis of working for a legal and professional environment in which journalists and media outlets can work in a free, independent, and effective manner.”

 

"The violations against journalism are ongoing, even if less than the previous year,” Gharib said. "Metro Center renews its calls for a truly diverse media environment.”

 

source/ the new region