Irbil — IRQ: Authorities in Iraq’s Kurdistan region on Wednesday closed a TV channel belonging to opposition leader Shaswar Abdulwahid, who had recently served a prison sentence.
Irbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw said the region’s “public prosecutor has ordered the closure of the offices of NRT media in the Kurdistan Region,” starting with its Irbil bureau, which was shut on Wednesday.
He said a “complaint had been filed against NRT for insulting national symbols,” but gave no further details about who filed it or what it contained.
He added that “the matter was not political.”
Iraqi Kurdistan portrays itself as a haven of stability, but activists frequently denounce violations of press freedom, arbitrary arrests of journalists and non-respect for the right to protest.
