Kurdistan 24, an example of resilience and free speech 

Sunday's heinous missile attack on Erbil significantly damaged Kurdistan 24's main headquarters. Despite this, its journalists and staff remained steadfast and continued their work and commitment to reporting the news. 

"When I heard the news and saw the damage of Kurdistan 24 building through pictures, I thought no journalist would work there again," said Rabar Bakhtyar, a local media specialist who got his Ph.D. in media in the United Kingdom.

"Journalists are humans, and humans' work and performance are affected by fear from authorities, but K24 journalists did not stop working even after the attack." 

Since its establishment on Oct. 31, 2015, Kurdistan 24 has endured other hardships as it strove to publish the facts and report the truth. 

The latest report by the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria released on Wednesday cites the ban on Kurdistan 24 as an example of the ongoing restrictions on free speech and harassment against media in northeast Syria. 

"On Jun. 16, a prominent journalist (Kamiran Saadoun) was arrested in Raqqah. Shortly after, on Jun. 20 (2021), the Kurdistan 24 television channel was shut down," the report said. 

Local authorities previously shuttered Kurdistan 24's offices in northeastern Syria in September 2019, but the company was later permitted to reopen them. 

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a leading international media rights organization, also called on the Kurdish-led local administration in northeastern Syria to reverse its recent decision to close down Kurdistan 24's news bureau there in June.

High-ranking officials also voiced their support for free speech and journalists working in Kurdistan 24 following Sunday's attack. 

The Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and his Iraqi counterpart, Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, visited Kurdistan 24 on Monday to survey the damage. 

Prime Minister Barzani personally visited the media organization on Sunday, where he closely witnessed the material damages.

"I thank you very much, I watched what you did, as you continued with your work despite the attack, and this is of course praised and appreciated, and what matters to us is that you are well and safe," Barzani told Kurdistan 24's journalists and staff.