Iraqi Kurdish Authorities Arrest, Beat Journalists Amid Growing Press Freedom Concerns

July 16, 2025 – Iraq –

Iraqi Kurdish authorities have recently arrested and severely beaten three journalists while assaulting a fourth in a series of troubling incidents, according to a report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). These actions have sparked significant alarm among press freedom advocates, highlighting the increasingly hostile environment for journalists operating in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

On July 14, Hersh Qadir, head of NRT’s Erbil office, was violently assaulted by three security personnel while covering a protest in Erbil’s Ainkawa district. According to Qadir, a man in plainclothes, who identified himself as an officer from the Asayish security forces, ordered him not to broadcast footage from the scene. When Qadir continued his work, he was physically attacked, suffering injuries to his back, and had his phone forcibly reformatted, erasing important data. Efforts by CPJ to contact the Bardarash Asayish authorities for clarification resulted only in confirmation of the arrests, with officials denying any reports of assault or torture, without providing further details.

CPJ has strongly condemned these actions and called on Iraqi authorities to conduct a transparent and thorough investigation into the incidents. The organisation emphasised that the attacks on journalists are part of a wider pattern of intimidation and violence that threatens press freedom and restricts free expression in the region.

Such hostility not only endangers individual journalists but also undermines the public’s right to access independent and critical information. The Committee to Protect Journalists urges Kurdish and Iraqi authorities to take immediate steps to safeguard journalists, uphold their rights, and ensure that those responsible for these abuses are held accountable under the law. The international community continues to watch closely, stressing that press freedom is a cornerstone of democracy and must be vigorously defended.

References –

https://cpj.org/2025/07/iraqi-kurdish-authorities-arrest-severely-beat-3-journalists-assault-another/