16/3/2022
Asayish forces released an NRT correspondent and photographer in Dohuk (Taif Jouran and Ahmed Jouran) after being detained for more than two hours. The correspondent was beaten by the Asayish while on duty.
The Press Freedom Advocacy Association in Iraq learned from colleagues working in the channel, that the staff was on a special coverage of a fire incident that erupted in a tourist hotel near a market in the “Gully” neighborhood in Dohuk province. Moments after the coverage, and live broadcast, the camera of the channel showed that elements of “Asayish” stormed the filming site, and attacked the correspondent , Taif Goran, without any justification.
The force detained him and the cameraman inside one of Asayish’s vehicles for more than two hours, and released them only after the channel’s management appealed to release them, colleagues said.
The Press Freedom Association in Iraq condemns the detention of the staff, the violation of the freedom of press and media work in the Kurdistan region, and regrets the situation of journalists in Iraq.
The association calls on the ruling authorities in the Kurdistan region to stop using police tactics against journalists to dissuade them from performing their duties, to respect the constitution, which has allowed freedom of press work, and to hold the federal government responsible for the safety and protection of journalists across the country.
