Reports highlight crackdowns on press in Kurdistan Region
The Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government has rejected the charges, citing the independence of courts and media partnerships.
A journalism watchdog group has criticized the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq for sentencing a journalist to prison in a secret trial.
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists issued a statement June 28 saying the KRG should release photojournalist Qaraman Shukri from detention.
Last month a report by Amnesty International highlighted concerns over increased crackdowns on journalists, activists and protesters over the past year by authorities in the region.
Shukri, who has reported on Turkish attacks on Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) bases in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, contributed to the Kurdish news outlet Rojnews, which is affiliated with the PKK.
