Kurdistan Journalists’ Syndicate denounces arrest of journalist over report

SULAIMANI — The Kurdistan Journalists’ Syndicate has denounced the arrest of a journalist in Duhok after he published a report about Assyrian heritage preservation.

The Syndicate said in a statement on Friday (June 21) that journalist Hurmiz Mushi Odisho posted a report about an Assyrian heritage site in Duhok province on his Facebook account on June 18, in which he called on the authorities to do more to preserve the local sites. In response, the Directorate of Heritage in Duhok filed a lawsuit against the journalist, according to the Syndicate’s statement. “Three people surrounded him in Duhok bazaar and took him into custody under the authority of the Asayish. He was released on bail three days after he was detained,” the statement read. “The detention of journalists is prohibited according to Journalism Law No. 35 of 2007. So, we condemn such acts and the detention of journalists in this illegal manner,” the Kurdistan Journalists’ Syndicate said. It called on the Kurdistan Regional Government to prevent the security forces from carrying out “such acts” and said that the Asayish should explain why they detained Mushi Odisho. (NRT Digital Media)