Violations against journalists in Kurdistan Region surged in 2025, Metro Center says

SULAYMANIYAH — Violations against journalists and media workers in the Kurdistan Region rose sharply in 2025, with 315 cases recorded over the year, reversing a downward trend seen in previous years, according to Metro Center for Journalists’ Rights and Advocacy.

Rahman Gharib, the center’s coordinator, told 964media that “behind each of the 315 violations there is a story that journalists face on a daily basis,” citing “abuse, beating, imprisonment and obstruction.”

He said the rise reflects weak enforcement of existing laws and a lack of respect for press freedoms.

“The non-implementation of laws and misunderstanding of journalists’ rights and freedom of expression are among the reasons behind the increase in violations,” Gharib said.

According to Metro Center data, the 2025 violations included 52 arrests of journalists. By comparison, the center recorded 118 violations and 24 arrests in 2024, and 249 violations with 37 arrests in 2023.

The figures mark a sharp reversal from the center’s 14th annual report, released in January 2025, which documented 182 violations during 2024 and described that year as a “difficult year for journalists,” despite noting a 20 percent decline compared with 2023.

Metro Center has repeatedly urged authorities to guarantee access to information and fully enforce laws protecting journalists, warning that the surge in violations in 2025 underscores persistent threats to press freedom in the Kurdistan Region.