CPTnet
13 December 2007
IRAQ: Team visits KRG parliamentarians at urging of Kurdish journalists
fearing clampdown on free speech

by Peggy Gish

Michele Obed-Naar, Cliff Kindy, Anita David, and Peggy Gish left early on 2
December 2007 for the city of Erbil. They went to meet with two members of
the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Parliament to express their
concerns about a bill scheduled for a vote on the following day.
Independent journalists and other concerned citizens in Suleimaniya had
been lobbying to change the bill, telling CPTers that the bill would
greatly restrict their freedom of speech. They urged CPT to join them in
advocating for changes.

The bill does allow journalists the "legal right to criticize the
government," obligates government leaders to disclose "public information,"
and prescribes a fine rather than imprisonment for violating this new law.
However, the fine could be heavy and could be imposed on journalists not
just for slanderous statements but also for ones that "disrupt security,"
"disclose any personal information (about government leaders) even if true,"
are "against the common morals of the community," or "encourage breaking of
the law."

When they spoke to Arez Abdulla, MP and head of the Culture Committee,
CPTers expressed concern that the bill could be stretched to consider
legitimate peaceful protests as encouraging terrorism or to punish someone
who called for the end of "honor killings" (a tribal custom allowing male
members of the tribe to kill a woman if she is raped or rejects her fathers
choice of marriage partner for her). Abdulla assured them that a law
against "honor" killings already exists. Then he told them, "We are also
concerned about the vagueness of the proposed law, and that it could be
misused. It would be very important how it is enforced."

He thanked CPT for their interest and for coming to talk with him, and then
invited them to come the next morning to sit in the balcony and watch the
proceedings.

Another MP, Mrs. Khaman, expressed the same concerns about the bill, and
said she hoped the Parliamentarians would change the wording the following
day when it came up for discussion. "If all the people and groups in
Parliament concerned about it would work together as a block, we could do
it," she said. She went on to describe what she called the "dichotomy that
exists in Kurdish mentality. There is the conservative side of their
thinking stemming from the trauma of the Anfal and years of dictatorship,
and the progressive side of their thinking that wants to show the world the
new democratic model which they are striving for. The two sides are in
tension in the creation of this bill."

Two days later, the team learned that a heavy debate had occurred about
ambiguity of the wording since the bill was introduced. The Prime Minister
intervened and postponed the vote so the parties could continue discussing
the issues internally.

As the debate continues, independent journalists say they expect this
struggle for free expression and other human rights will continue long-term.