Baghdad-imposed governor asks counter-terrorism units to 'take measures' against journalists in Kirkuk

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A group of journalists in the disputed province of Kirkuk has asked the United Nations and the Iraqi government to protect them against an order by the acting governor of Kirkuk.

In a statement on Tuesday, the journalists called on related government authorities to protect them after acting governor of Kirkuk Rakan Saeed threatened to act against reporters.

According to the statement, Saeed had issued a document urging the Counter-Terrorism Units in Kirkuk to take security measures against journalists.

“We are surprised by [the governor’s order] which asks the Counter-Terrorism forces to take security measures against a group of Arab, Kurdish, and Turkmen journalists who are accused, without evidence, of provoking the public’s opinion,” it added.

The group of journalists urged the UN, Iraqi authorities, as well as local and international NGOs to take all the necessary measures to protect journalists and press freedom in Kirkuk Province.

The Kirkuk governor’s office has not yet verified the document.

Burhan Sleman, a member of the Kurdistan Journalists Syndicate in Kirkuk, told Kurdistan 24 on Tuesday that the governor’s decision violated fundamental democratic rights as outlined in the Iraqi Constitution.

The decision “takes us back to the dictatorship era before 2003,” he said.

In April 2018, the acting governor sent a document to the security forces to ban all Kurdish media outlets and NGOs based in the Kurdistan Region, Sleman revealed, noting the security forces have not fully implemented the decision.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany