The channels are Speda and Speda Drama, the official media for the Kurdistan Islamic Union and NRT 4, a secondary channel of the broadcaster whose holding company is owned by the leader of the New Generation Movement. Both networks and their affiliated parties have been critical of the current KRG cabinet, referring to it as an “expired” government.
“We believe that the suspension of the broadcast of Speda and Speda Drama is a political punishment, not a legal one,” the media outlet said in a statement, describing the move as an “illegal decision.”
Speda - on the air in its current form since 2009 - said it holds a license from Iraq’s Communications and Media Commission (CMC) and also has applied for license in the Kurdistan Region.
“The decision was issued under the pretext of not having licenses and is part of the expired ninth cabinet’s campaign against the sound and image of opposition and critical media in the Kurdistan Region… “ the Speda statement added. “A clear and obvious backsliding can be felt in the Region, especially during the tenure of the ninth cabinet, as evidenced by international reports.”
The US Consulate in Erbil in February said Washington is concerned about the “recent backsliding” of press freedom in the Kurdistan Region. The KRG denied the accusation, claiming that the diplomatic mission had in fact voiced its appreciation of the “decline” in violations against journalists.
NRT said in a social media post that the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the main power-holder in the KRG, has decided to suspend the channel under the pretext of “not giving licenses to Islamic channels.”
Apart from a number of social media posts by NRT briefly describing the suspension and indirectly criticizing it, the broadcaster has not issued a response. Instead, it shared a statement from local religious scholars condemning the suspension as a violation of freedom of expression and calling on relevant authorities to reconsider the decision and to allow the channel to operate.
The suspension only applies to TV receiver devices; the channels continue broadcasting their content via satellite.
The KRG stressed that the channels have been suspended due to not obtaining the requisite licenses.
“We, as the Ministry of Culture and Youth, have asked the broadcasting companies not to broadcast any local channels without a license,” read the KRG statement. “Any channels, which have been stopped from broadcasting on receivers, is because they do not have a license.”
Critics repeatedly have harshly criticized authorities in the Kurdistan Region for their treatment of journalists and for imposing restrictive measures on the press.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in its annual report in January that “vaguely worded laws” have been used in the Kurdistan Region to suppress journalists, activists, and political rivals.
In 2023, 249 violations were committed against journalists and media outlets, according to figures from Metro Center for Journalists Right and Advocacy, a local media watchdog.
