Freedoms of speech and of the press in Iraqi
Kurdistan are being called into question following the arrests of several
journalists and intellectuals in recent months. As independent Kurdish media
outlets push for greater press freedoms, Kurdish government officials blame
outdated laws for the arrests.
Justice Minister Hadi Ali has said that part of the
problem is that many Kurdish judges are beholden to security and
intelligence agencies of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), latimes.com
reported on March 27. Ali, a member of the Kurdistan Islamic Union, a
political party that
clashed with the KDP last year, said the regional
judiciary is open to abuse because there aren't adequate laws to guarantee
civil liberties.
