Journalists under increasing threat in Iraqi Kurdistan

Reuters has an in-depth story today on the increasingly dangerous reporting environment in Iraqi Kurdistan. Part of the problem, the article reports a local editor as saying, is that "the government thinks that journalists are the opposition."

Killings, threats, and attacks against journalists are on the rise, with about 60 occurrences reported to CPJ in the first half of 2008 alone. "The recent incidents have really stripped off the veneer and revealed it's not much different than other parts of Iraq," Reuters quoted CPJ's Joel Campagna as saying.

CPJ recently concluded a mission to Kurdistan, where our delegation met with Kurdistan Democratic Party leader Masoud Barzani and presented him with our recommendations for ensuring press freedom in the region. For more, read our full report "The Other Iraq."