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Kurdistan Parliament's new press bill
shocked journalists, political observers and
politicians
22.12.2007
By Azeez Mahmood in Sulaimaniyah (ICR No. 241,
21-Dec-07)
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Kurdish leader pledges to dismiss proposed
legislation that would introduce prison terms for
journalists.
December
22, 2007
Sulaimaniyah, Kurdistan Region 'Iraq',--
Kurdistan Regional Government, KRG, president
Massoud Barzani says he will not sign a proposed
press law under which journalists and newspapers
could face severe penalties.
His spokesman Fuad Hussein told IWPR that the
president has decided not to sign the bill "because
it has many shortcomings and creates many problems
for journalists”.
While the proposed law has not been made public,
members of parliament are reported to have said that
if it is passed, journalists could have to pay heavy
fines, publications shut down for vague offences,
and reporters and editors jailed for breaking its
controversial provisions. |
Massoud Barzani, the President of the autonomous Regional
Government of Kurdistan 'Iraq' |
Journalists from party and independent media have
pressed Barzani to reject the bill, which was
approved by the Kurdish parliament last week. But at
a meeting with the the Kurdistan Journalists’
Syndicate earlier this week, Barzani pledged to
reject the law.
If he does so, it will be sent back to parliament
for review, after which MPs can redraft the
legislation or pass the original draft, which would
then become law, according to the KRG’s
constitution.
However, it is unlikely that MPs loyal to Barzani’s
Kurdistan Democratic Party would oppose the
president.
Parliament’s decision to submit the bill to Barzani
shocked journalists, political observers and
politicians in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, as well as
international journalism rights advocates.
In a rare sign of unity, the Kurdistan Journalists’
Syndicate - which is loyal to Iraqi Kurdistan’s two
dominant parties - and independent journalists both
spoke out against the bill after parliament approved
it on December 11.
Journalists of nearly every political stripe in
Iraqi Kurdistan have complained that the proposed
legislation is too harsh on the media,www.ekurd.net
and reporters and
editors in several Kurdish cities and towns rallied
to protest against the bill last week.
"The press bill is the worst piece of legislation
that the parliament has passed,” said Mem Burhan
Qani', a journalist who has researched Iraqi media
laws. “It violates liberties and freedom of
expression.”
Ghafoor Makhmoori, an MP from the Democratic
National Union of Kurdistan party, who voted against
the draft law, said that if it was introduced,
journalists would face fines of up to 10 million
Iraqi dinars (8,200 US dollars) and newspapers 20
million dinars for breaking the law.
The planned legislation is said to make it illegal
to publish articles that create instability or
spread fear, provoke sectarianism, oppose social
customs or incite terrorism, among other
prohibitions.
Journalists could reportedly face jail terms of up
to 15 years and newspapers shut down for six months
if they break the law.
Editors-in-chief would also be forced to join the
Kurdistan Journalists’ Syndicate,www.ekurd.net
even though the Iraqi
constitution prohibits mandatory membership of any
party or society.
Makhmoori speculated that parliament passed the bill
to “handcuff” journalists who have been highly
critical of the Kurdish government.
“The press has freedom, but cannot violate other
people’s freedoms,” said Kareem Bahree, head of
parliament’s legal committee who supported the bill.
“Journalists should not be able to disrespect people
in any way they choose.”
Bahree said the reason the government had not made
the bill public was because parliament’s secretary
had left for the Eid al-Adha holiday before
producing a final copy.
And earlier press bill included the same publishing
prohibitions as those in the approved draft, but the
penalties were less severe.
The earlier bill protected journalists from prison,
fined journalists and newspapers a maximum of 2
million dinars and did not stipulate that
editor-in-chiefs be members of the Kurdistan
Journalists’ Syndicate.
Despite some reservations, many independent
journalists had expressed support for this proposed
law, which never made it to the floor of parliament.
Instead, parliament’s legal committee decided to
draft the current bill, which has caused divisions
among legislators, with a number of MPs boycotting
the vote on it.
In a statement, the New York-based Committee to
Protect Journalists executive director Joel Simon
praised Barzani’s decision to reject the law,
encouraging the KRG “to enact model legislation for
the region” that “conforms to international press
freedom standards”.
Makhmoori said he believes that the parliament will
make changes to the bill. Following the outcry
against its restrictions, parliament "is under a lot
of public pressure" to make changes, he said.
Azeez Mahmood is an IWPR journalist. Kurdish
editor Mariwan Hama-Saeed contributed to this
report.
iwpr net
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