Fact-Finding team report on the Humanitarian Situation in Basra
عربي | Arabic On 17 October 2018, a civil society Fact-Finding Team revealed serious human rights violations against citizens in Basra for their participation in this past summer’s protests. These findings correspond with Iraq’s High Commission for Human Rights, which found that between 1 August and 7 September, 20 people were killed, 492 people were...
Active Nonviolence and Protests / CIVIL SOCIETY NEWS / Freedom of Expression and Press / Iraqi Voices
Iraq: Security Forces Fire on Protesters
Arabic | عربي Iraq’s security forces fired on and beat protesters in Basra governorate during a series of protests from July 8 to 17, 2018, Human Rights Watch said today. The largely Interior Ministry forces used apparent excessive and unnecessary lethal force against protests over water, jobs, and electrical power that at times turned...
Covering Corruption Exposes Journalists to Arrest in Iraq
Reporters Without Borders for Freedom of Information Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns the arrests to which two investigative reporters have been subjected in different parts of Iraq in the past few days in connection with their coverage of corruption, and calls for an end to the harassment of these journalists. The latest victim was Mostafa...
The Reality of Freedom of Press and Expression in the Kurdistan Region in 2018 So Far
World Press Freedom Day – 3rd May , 2018 The Media Working Group of the Kurdistan Social Forum conducted a semi-Conference in Sulaymaniyah City on this day with the participation of 25 people: CSOs, journalists, independent human rights activists, one MP, stakeholder representatives and university teachers. A panel analyzed data on violations of freedom of...
Kurdistan Social Forum Fully Supports the Protests of Teachers and Public Employees
Statement by the Kurdistan Social Forum on the recent protests in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq The people of the Kurdistan Region have been suffering from the neo-liberalism economic system in the region and facing a hardship in every aspects of life. The KRG has cut their salaries to half and yet it does not...
Providing a Secure Environment for Defenders of Free Speech in the KRI
One of the main goals of the Kurdistan Social Forum has been to monitor and improve freedom of expression in the Kurdistan Region. To this end, the Forum frequently publishes reports of violations and meets regularly with policymakers. It also aims to equip activists and defenders of this right with effective mechanisms to protect themselves....
Urgent Call Upon the Iraqi Authorities in Baghdad and Kurdistan to Investigate The Killing of The Journalist Arkan Sharif
02 November 2017 We urgently call upon the Iraqi authorities both in Baghdad and Kurdistan to investigate the killing of journalist Arkan Sharif and to protect all journalists from future attacks. We are shocked by the news of journalist Arkan Sharif’s murder in front of his home in the city of Daquq (near Kirkuk), last...
Reviewing the Draft Law on Freedom of Expression in Iraq
The Iraqi parliament is currently working on a freedom of expression draft law. This legislation contains several articles which civil society believes would curb free speech in Iraq. The ‘Media’ working group of ‘Mesopotamian Youth’ based in Baghdad, together with the Article 38 Coalition and the Iraqi Social Forum discussed this new freedom of expression...
Training on the Dangers of the Iraqi Cybercrimes Draft Law
A new draft law on cybercrimes will soon be discussed in the Iraqi Parliament. Under this law it would be possible to hold anyone accountable for a simple post on social media. The working group on ‘Media’ based in Baghdad (and managed by Information Center for Research and Development together with the Iraqi Network for...
The Kurdistan Regional Government Halts Local Broadcasting of the NRT Channel
Press Freedom Advocacy Association in Iraq 28/8/2017 The Directorate of Media, Printing and Publishing in Erbil, within the Ministry of Culture and Youth of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), has stopped all local broadcasting of the NRT satellite channel. The channel said in its press release, “The Directorate announced that its decision was because the...
New Draft Law Threatens Freedom of Expression on the Internet
Iraqi Women Journalist Forum and Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative – 28 August 2017 On 26 August 2017, the Iraqi Women Journalist Forum held a seminar in Baghdad on the draft law on internet censorship. Though no precise date has been announced, this proposed law, the ‘Informatics Crime Law’, is set to be delivered to...
Free and Open Public Discourse in Iraqi Kurdistan is Under Threat
Human rights report by Christian Peacemaker Team, August 2017 (Full report can be downloaded in pdf here) Current situation surrounding Referendum on Independence The authorities of Iraqi Kurdistan have planned a referendum vote for independence of Iraqi Kurdistan from the Central Iraqi Government set to take place on September 25th, 2017. As part of its...
