The Iraqi Kurdistan Journalists Syndicate KJS documented only 46 violations against journalists in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq KRI in 2025, a figure that sharply contrasts with a report released two days earlier by the Metro Center for Journalists Rights and Advocacy, which recorded 315 violations.
On Monday, the KJS published its annual report on violations committed against journalists and media organizations over the past year. According to the report, just 46 cases were registered. The report was prepared by the Board for the Protection of Journalists’ Freedom and Rights.
KJS data shows that only one incident involved the shooting and injury of a journalist, and only one case involved the closure of a media outlet in 2025.
On September 2, 2025, Hemn Mamend, a presenter for Stark TV, was shot and wounded when two gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire on him in the Aqari neighborhood of Sulaimaniya northern province.
Iraqi and international media outlets, organizations, advocates, and lawmakers have expressed grave concern over the increasing threat to press freedom in the KRI.
Sulaymaniyah, September 2, 2025: Hemn Mamend, a presenter for Stark TV, was shot and wounded by two gunmen.
In another incident, on August 22, security forces equipped with weapons and military vehicles raided Zoom TV in Sulaimaniya, shut down its broadcasts, and left around 200 employees jobless.
In a statement issued on Monday, December 19, 2026, Azad Hama Amin, Deputy Head of the KJS, emphasized the need to amend several laws and issue new decisions once the Kurdistan Parliament resumes its work, in order to protect journalism and media freedom in the region.
“Journalists should have the right to receive residential land from the government like any other employee,” he said.
In contrast, the Metro Center for Journalists’ Rights and Advocacy (MCJR) reported that 315 violations were committed against 252 journalists in the Kurdistan Region during the same year.
According to the Metro Center, the most frequent violations were prevention and discrimination, accounting for 120 cases. These were followed by beatings, physical assaults, threats, and verbal abuse, recorded in 74 cases.
The Metro Center reported 182 cases of violations against journalists and media channels in 2024, including 24 cases of journalists arrested without court warrant, compared to 249 violations in 2023.
The KJS has reported 62 cases of violations against journalists in 2024, including 25 cases of obstruction and discrimination.
