Overview

Journalists and activists face a multitude of hardships, obstacles, and human rights violations in Iraqi Kurdistan. Imprisonment, detention, assassinations, threats, confiscation of media equipment, a lack of a fair and impartial trial, and discrimination are among the many obstacles civil society faces. Additionally, the judiciary system is highly susceptible to political interference and is oftentimes used by the government to target journalists and activists for their work and to restrict freedom of expression especially in criticism of the state.

After the inception of the KRG government in Northern Iraq in 1992, a wave of various media entities were found. In 1998 the Kurdistan Journalist Syndicate was found to protect the rights of journalists and media workers. Additionally, Journalism Law 35 in 2007 was legislated to organize media outlets and journalism under the pretext of protecting fundamental and principle rights of journalists, journalism and media instiutions.

Unfortunately, despite these advancements, journalists and activists are susceptible to oppression for their work. Starting in 2020, 81 journalists and activists from the Badinan area, were arrested within a span of three months with some receiving long prison sentences. Besides the Badinan Prisoners, civil society has been punished through the judicial system with loose and questionable interpretations of laws such as anti-terror, misuse of technology, and the assemblance of demonstrations.

CPT reports and monitors violations in civil society through the attendance of court trials, accompaniment with journalists and activists, writing reports on observations of human rights violations, and more. Additionally, CPT advocates to both the local and international community on human rights violations to pressure the government to release journalists and activists and protect freedom of expression.