ERBIL-Hewler, Kurdistan region ‘Iraq’,— A statement from the Nalia Media Corporation on Saturday said that a group of armed personnel claiming to be local security forces (Asayish) broke in to NRT’s office on late Saturday in Kurdistan capital city of Erbil, arrested staff members and closed down the office. NRT’s staff was later released and forced to leave Erbil from the Degala checkpoint.

Later another group of the security forces in Duhok broke in to NRT’s office in that city, taking control and closing it down.

NRT is the only independent Kurdish satellite TV channel in Iraqi Kurdistan region.

Also security force closed three offices of KNN satellite channel close to Change (Gorran) Movement in Erbil and Dohuk cities and Soran district.

The representative of Press Freedom Advocacy in Iraq Association said that other security forces closed offices of KNN channel in each of Erbil, Dohuk and Soran, and deported Erbil offices’ team who are three people to Sulaimani city after they were detained for a short period, and then took them to police station of Dekla area, and deported them.

He said that the police force stopped the Channel team in Erbil on Saturday afternoon before their detention, while covering a demonstration by a number of citizens demanding the payment of overdue salaries, confiscated their tapes and took them away from the place of the demonstration.

The crackdown on the media comes after thousands of people demonstrated in Iraqi Kurdish city of Sulaimani province, Kalar district near Erbil and in several other towns Saturday, demanding that KDP leader Massoud Barzani whose presidency ended on August 20, to step down.

Barzani’s mandate expired in August and political talks over his succession have failed.  The 69-year-old leader has held the presidency since 2005.

Barzani has been accused by critics of amassing huge wealth for his family instead of serving the population.

Nalia Media Corporation believes that the security and safety of its journalists and other employees in Barzani led KDP-controlled areas are the responsibility of police and security forces in Erbil and Duhok.

The Channel also demand an explanation from the Kurdistan Regional Government KRG on these unlawful and uncivil actions by the Asayish against our channel and our journalists.

NRT TV is the only independent satellite channel in the Kurdish region. It is a window for people in Kurdistan – a balanced perspective through which the Kurdish people can observe events in the region – and shutting it down is like blindfolding the people of Kurdistan. This is the beginning of hiding the truth of what is going on in areas of Kurdistan controlled by KDP.

The Kurdish TV asks the representatives of foreign countries in Kurdistan, all organizations and political parties, and the people of Kurdistan to raise their voices against these abuses.

Source: eKurd