Kurdish Press Freedom Watchdog Slams PUK Leader for “Shameful” Insult to Journalist

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - The coordinator of the Metro Center for Journalists' Rights criticized comments made by the leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) toward a journalist in Sulaimani, describing the incident as shameful and expressing concern over what he called the silence of those present during the exchange.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Metro Center coordinator said the remarks directed at the journalist reflected an unacceptable attitude toward media professionals.

"The insult directed by the PUK leader toward journalists is shameful, and the silence of those who were present is another source of shame," the statement said.

The coordinator said he had expected voices from within the PUK to react to the incident or for one of its institutions to issue an apology.

"We expected a voice to be raised from within the PUK, or for one of its institutions to apologize, but those who were silent have remained silent," he said.

Referring to the language used toward the journalist; the coordinator questioned how such remarks might reflect broader interactions with colleagues and associates.

"If this is the way he speaks to others, how does he speak to his colleagues, especially when he becomes angry?" he asked.

The Metro Center coordinator also questioned whether the reaction would have been different had a similar incident involved a journalist affiliated with another political party.

"If the head of the KDP's Fourth Branch, Ari Harsin, had directed the same insult at a PUK journalist, would there have been the same silence and the same position?" he said.

The statement raised concerns about what the coordinator described as selective reactions to incidents involving journalists.

The coordinator urged journalists to support one another and speak openly against insults targeting members of the profession.

"Solidarity among journalists is important. They should speak out without fear against the phenomenon of insulting journalists and their profession," he said.

He also criticized the lack of support shown to the journalist involved, including what he described as silence from colleagues and the Sulaimani branch of the Kurdistan Journalists Syndicate.

"The silence of that journalist's colleagues and the Sulaimani branch of the journalists' syndicate is alarming and disappointing," he said.

Concluding his statement, the Metro Center coordinator called on journalists to continue their work without fear and to defend the values of the profession.

"Write and do not be afraid," he said. "This was an insult to the syndicate, its members, and every journalist who respects the profession."