Iraq / Middle East & North Africa

  
Iraqi Kurdish security officers are seen in Erbil on July 17, 2019. That day, officers from the Kurdish Counter-Terrorism Forces assaulted Al-Jazeera reporter Ahmed al-Zawiti. (AFP/Safin Hamed)

Kurdish forces assault Al-Jazeera reporter Ahmed al-Zawiti in Iraqi Kurdistan

On July 17, 2019, in the Iraqi Kurdistan capital of Erbil, officers from the Kurdish Counter-Terrorism Forces assaulted Al-Jazeera reporter Ahmed al-Zawiti, according to the journalist, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app, and news reports.

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A member of the Asayish is seen in Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan, on May 13, 2018. Asayish forces in Sulaymaniyah recently detained freelance journalist Zmnako Ismael. (Reuters/Ako Rasheed)

Kurdish intelligence officers detain photojournalist in Iraqi Kurdistan

On July 9, 2019, in the city of Sulaymaniyah, in Iraqi Kurdistan, Kurdish security forces detained and questioned freelance photojournalist Zmnako Ismael for more than an hour while he was covering the funeral of Diyar Gharib Mohammed, a senior leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party militant group, according to local news reports and Ismael, who…

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Security forces are seen in Baghdad, Iraq, on June 21, 2019. The Baghdad offices of Al-Journal and 7C TV were recently raided in Baghdad following a corruption investigation. (AP/Hadi Mizban)

Armed men raid offices of Iraqi broadcaster and newspaper following corruption investigation

Beirut, July 2, 2019 — Iraqi authorities should investigate the armed raid against the Baghdad offices of Al-Journal and 7C TV and determine if the perpetrators were acting on behalf of a member of parliament, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Kurdish security forces are seen in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, on July 23, 2018. Security forces recently harassed and attempted to arrest journalist Barzan Ali Hama. (AFP/Safin Hamed)

Security forces harass, attempt to arrest Kurdish journalist in Iraqi Kurdistan

On June 4, 2019, security forces affiliated with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) party harassed and attempted to arrest Barzan Ali Hama, a reporter for local broadcaster Kurdistan 24, in the city of Koya, in Iraqi Kurdistan, according to Hama, who spoke with CPJ, and news reports.

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Journalists injured while covering protests in northwestern Iraq

Two journalists covering demonstrations in northwestern Iraq suffered injuries on March 22, 2019, when they were struck by a vehicle carrying the provincial governor, according to an account by one of the journalists, and local press freedom groups.

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A cafe in the old city of Erbil, in September 2018. Journalists in Iraqi Kurdistan say they are under pressure from authorities. (Reuters/Thaier Al-Sudani)

In Iraqi Kurdistan, journalists are victim of political tension

Mission journal: Journalists in Iraqi Kurdistan are under pressure from authorities in the autonomous northern Iraqi region, with news outlets shuttered and critical reporters arrested. With government formation talks underway, CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa representative Ignacio Miguel Delgado travels to Erbil, Sulaymaniyah and Duhok to hear from local journalists on how the partisan…

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Freelance journalist Sherwan Amin Sherwani has been detained by Kurdish authorities for weeks; CPJ is calling for his release. (Photo by Hushyar Sherkawaye)

Journalist detained for weeks in Iraqi Kurdistan, accused of anti-state acts

Beirut, February 21, 2019–The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned the prolonged detention without charge of freelance journalist Sherwan Amin Sherwani by Kurdish authorities in northern Iraq and called for his immediate release.

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A protester uses his cell phone to film at a demonstration in Basra in January. Militias and Iraqi security forces are attacking and detaining journalists who cover protests in the city. (AFP/Hussein Faleh)

Iraqi militias use threats, violence to keep Basra press in line

“You work against us. In your work, you criticize militias. We watched your videos and you talk against us. You will pay the price for it,” an anonymous voice said on the other end of the line to freelance reporter Azhar Al-Rubaie.

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The NRT Duhok office, which was recently raided by local authorities. (Image via NRT)

Security forces detain TV crews and shut down broadcaster’s office in Iraqi Kurdistan

Beirut, January 28, 2019–The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned the closure by Kurdish security forces of the Iraqi independent broadcaster NRT’s office in Dohuk, Iraqi Kurdistan, and urged the Kurdish regional government to immediately allow NRT to resume its work.

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An Iraqi man reads a newspaper on October 6, 2016. In recent weeks, at least four journalists were detained in northern Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan.

Four Iraqi journalists detained in Mosul and Erbil

Between January 16 and 22, 2019, at least four Iraqi journalists were detained in connection with their work in Mosul and Irbil, according to news reports, the journalists’ employers, and the local press freedom groups Press Freedom Advocacy Association in Iraq and the Iraqi Center for Supporting Freedom of Speech.

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