28/8/2017
Erbil’s Ministry of Culture and Youth, the Directorate of Media, Printing and Publication stopped the terrestrial transmission of NRT channel in the province.
In a statement, the channel announced that the decision was made under the excuse that it did not abide to valid regulations, in addition to its opposing attitude against the referendum that was planned to be conducted in the region. The channel was frozen for a whole week and banned from broadcasting in all provinces. The channel pointed its finger of accusation in the face of the Kurdistani Democratic Party that it supports such decisions.
KRG Ministry of Culture and Youth had earlier declared that any channel working against the referendum would be punished.
At the time that Press Freedom Advocacy Association condemns banning any media body from exercising its duty under different justifications that are imposed by an influential party in the region, it stresses upon the fact that the action is a clear violation to the Iraqi laws and constitution that the region had voted for before.
The Association demands KRG to stop dealing with media bodies in such a way and asks international organizations, after the failure of the Iraqi Federal Government, to interfere and rescue what had remained of freedom of expression in the region.
