INDEPENDENT MEDIA CENTRE KURDISTAN

Journalists and security police, they both work for the Kurdish people, was the message IMCK director Judit Neurink delivered to middle management of the security police (assaish) in Sulaymaniya on March 13, 2012.The role of journalists is to inform the people, like the role of police is to protect the people. About forty heads of units and departments from Sulaymaniya province were present during the lecture at the headquarters of assaish in the centre of Sulaymaniya. Neurink, who was seconded by IMCK's Saman Penjwini, talked about the roles of both police and press in a democratic society, and about the regulations put down in the press law on how journalists should be treated. Preventing them from taking pictures or making interviews is not in accordance with that law. IMCK is working with the Kurdish Syndicate of Journalists and assaish to improve the awareness about the safety of journalists. Part of this is the orange Press jacket that has been presented, and the dev...

Editors in chief of Kurdish media and their representatives met at the Culture Cafe in Sulaymaniya to discuss how to keep journalists safe during demonstrations. IMCK organised the session on February 15, 2012 to reduce incidents that involve journalists, with in mind the expected protests to remember the unrest that started on February 17 of last year in Sulaymaniya. Last year almost 300 incidents involving journalists were reported - the real number is higher, as even during the meeting journalists reported incidents that they had not mentioned before. Both the Kurdistan Syndicate of Journalists and the Metro Centre Defending Journalists were present. IMCK implored editors in chief to instruct their journalists not to be part of demonstrations, but to stay out and report from the side lines. It also produced special orange PRESS jackets to make journalists more visible during unrest, so they will not become the target of violence by police, as happened in the past. Inte...