Press freedom in the news 12/10/08
The release of Iraqi journalist Adel Hussein, who had been jailed in Iraqi Kurdistan, is making news today. The Associated Press has coverage of his pardon from President Masoud Barzani, as does Canada’s CBC News. Both articles cite our coverage of the case and quote CPJ Deputy Director Robert Mahoney, who called on the authorities…
Judge jails editor who criticized courthouse
New York, November 5, 2008–The Iraqi Kurdistan court of appeals should act immediately to overturn a judge’s ruling on Tuesday to impose a one-month prison term against a journalist who published critical reports about the Sulaymaniyah courthouse, CPJ said today. The journalist’s lawyer said newly adopted legislation does not appear to allow such a prison…
Press freedom in the news 9/23/08
Reuters is reporting that Iraqi Kurdistan’s Parliament has passed a revised media law that protects the rights of journalists in the region and abolishes criminal defamation. CPJ travelled to the region in May to protest a much harsher version of the media law, and presented recommendations to Kurdish President Masoud Barzani. Also making news this…
Gulistan Tara
Gulistan Tara, a 40-year-old Kurdish journalist from Turkey with Chatr Multimedia Production Company, was killed on August 23, 2024, when a Turkish drone strike hit her unmarked car near Goptapa village in Iraqi Kurdistan’s northeastern Sulaymaniyah province. Two Kurdish Iraqi colleagues were also in the car: Hero Bahadin was killed and Rebin Bakir was injured….
Hero Bahadin
Hero Bahadin, a 27-year-old Kurdish Iraqi video editor with Chatr Multimedia Production Company, was killed on August 23, 2024, when a Turkish drone strike hit her unmarked car near Goptapa village in Iraqi Kurdistan’s northeastern Sulaymaniyah province. Gulistan Tara, a Kurdish journalist from Turkey, one of two colleagues in the car, was also killed. Rebin…
CPJ submits report on Iraq to UN’s human rights review
The Committee to Protect Journalists has submitted a report on the state of press freedom and journalist safety in Iraq and semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan to the United Nations Human Rights Council ahead of its January to February 2025 Universal Periodic Review (UPR) session. The U.N. mechanism is a peer review of each member state’s human…
Murad Mirza
On July 8, a suspected Turkish strike in northern Iraq struck a car carrying a Cira TV crew, including reporters Mydia Hussen and Murad Mirza and their driver, Khalaf Khdir. All three sustained head injuries. On July 11, 2024, Mirza died from the injuries sustained in the strike. He was buried on July 12 in…