Sulaimaiyah, June 13th 2024: Metro Center condemns the
behavior of the security force in Sulaimani against the reporters of the media
and the participants of the activities of the team (Protect Guyzha, گویژە بپارێزە) which is
contrary to the laws of organizing demonstrations and journalism.
The team (Protect Goyzha) which consists of a group of civil
activists and journalists, was scheduled to hold a mass activity in Sulaimani
on Thursday, in order to stop against the environmental encroachment by
companies on the natural environment of the mountain.
When the activists arrived in front of the project, they
were prevented by the security forces, physically violent against them,
confiscated the mobile phones of some journalists and activists and deleted
their photos. They did not allow the media channels (NRT, KNN, Zoom, Sepedah,
Mike) to cover the event.
The security forces did not stop there, a force monitored
the vehicles of the activists until they reached Azadi Park, where the
participants and organizers of the action held a press conference.
KNN reporter Bahar Abdulkarim told Metro that numerous
masked and armed security forces were there. "They took away our microphones
and journalism tools and put them in their cars,” she said They threatened to
call me to the Asaiysh if I published any of the photos or videos.
According to witnesses, the forces attacked two activists,
injured them and threw them to the ground, they then seized the activists'
platform and put it into a security forces’ vehicle and took it away.
After two hours of making journalists’ wait and dispersing
the activists, they returned their belongings.
Metro Center condemns the behavior of the security forces in
Sulaimani against the reporters of the media and the participants of the
activities of the team (Protect Guyzha) and against the freedom of peaceful
demonstration and freedom of journalists.
According to the law on organizing demonstrations in the
Kurdistan Region, the duty of the security forces is to protect the
participants of peaceful demonstrations and rallies, not to suppress them.
According to the Journalism Law, journalists have the right
to cover public activities and should not be prevented.
#pressfreedomdom
#میترو_حریة_الصحافة
#metrocenter
#میترۆ_ئازادی_رۆژنامەگەری