Mountain of impunity looms over Kurdistan journalists
CPJ report looks at the state of press freedom in Iraqi Kurdistan New York, April 22, 2014–A lack of law enforcement and a general climate of impunity have bred self-censorship and hampered reporting on sensitive issues such as corruption in Iraqi Kurdistan, the Committee to Protect Journalists found in a report released today.
Mountain of impunity looms over Kurdistan journalists
Iraqi Kurdistan may seem calm compared with much of the Middle East, but the media are vulnerable whenever internal political tensions flare. Amid impunity for anti-press attacks, including murder and arson, journalists say they must self-censor on topics like religion, social inequality, and corruption associated with powerful officials. A CPJ special report by Namo Abdulla
Getting Away With Murder
CPJ’s 2014 Global Impunity Index spotlights countries where journalists are slain and the killers go free IraqUnsolved Murders: 100Population: 32.6 millionRank: 1 SomaliaUnsolved Murders: 26Population: 10.2 millionRank: 2 The PhilippinesUnsolved Murders: 51Population: 96.7 millionRank: 3 Sri LankaUnsolved Murders: 9Population: 20.3 millionRank: 4 SyriaUnsolved Murders: 7Population: 22.4 millionRank: 5 AfghanistanUnsolved Murders: 5Population: 29.8 millionRank: 6 MexicoUnsolved…
Mountain of impunity looms over Kurdistan journalists
CPJ to release report on the state of press freedom in Iraqi Kurdistan New York, April 15, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists will release a special report on press freedom in Iraqi Kurdistan. The report examines key attacks on journalists that have shaped the climate of impunity; the role of law enforcement and the judiciary;…
Two Iraqi journalists killed in suicide bomb
New York, March 11, 2014–A suicide bombing targeting a police checkpoint in Iraq’s Babil province on Sunday killed dozens of Iraqis, including two journalists, according to news reports. Muthanna Abdel Hussein and Khaled Abdel Thamer were cameramen for the state-run Al-Iraqiya TV station.
Attacks on the Press in 2013: Iraq
In a 2006 book, the late New York Times correspondent Anthony Shadid summed up the future of Iraq as ghamidh, meaning “unclear” or “ambiguous” in Arabic. Seven years later, uncertainty continued to exacerbate the threats that journalists faced. Newspaper offices were attacked by unknown assailants, and journalists were threatened, assaulted, and detained. At least 10…
Iraqi journalist killed by bomb in Anbar province
New York, January 21, 2014–An Iraqi journalist was killed by a roadside bomb in Anbar province on Monday, according to news reports. Firas Mohammed Attiyah, a correspondent, had been reporting on ongoing clashes in the province for the local Fallujah TV station, the reports said.
Arab journalists need training for civil unrest and wars
In recent years, Arab journalists have been taking great risks to report important stories in a region where war and civil unrest remain an ever-present threat. Many are operating without proper equipment or safety training in how to recognize and mitigate the various risks they face.
CPJ condemns attack on Iraqi TV station
New York, December 23, 2013–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns today’s attack on Salah al-Din TV station headquarters in Tikrit, Iraq, which left several journalists dead. The attack comes amid a wave of targeted killings of journalists in the past few months that has made the country among the deadliest in the world for journalists.