Deputy Speaker Hemin Hawrami conveys best wishes to journalists on Kurdish Journalism Day

On Kurdish Journalism Day and the 123rd anniversary of the first issue of Kurdistan newspaper, I warmly congratulate all Kurdistan’s media and journalists.

Freedom of journalism is one of the main pillars of an open and democratic society. The Kurdistan Region has always tried to lay the foundations for a free and diverse media, and our legislation has supported and expanded these foundations.

The large number and freedom of media outlets gives us pride and is one of the features of Kurdistan Region, and we must all fulfill our responsibility to protect them, Parliament by monitoring the implementation of laws, the Government by protecting journalists and continually supporting this freedom, and journalists by adhering to journalism’s ethics and the basic principles of freedom of journalism without violating the rights of others and while protecting peaceful coexistence, unity and high values.

Fake news and using the media to fight proxy wars and to destroy social peace has become a phenomenon of life, and Kurdistan’s journalists should protect themselves from this phenomena. Professional journalists are the first victims of fake news and of those who carry out other work under the guise of journalism that is anything but journalistic work or ethics.

The Kurdistan Parliament, in our 9th ordinary sitting on 21 April 2021, voted to officially designate this anniversary as Kurdish Journalism Day. I express my warmest wishes to journalists on this occasion.

Dr. Hemin Hawrami

Deputy Speaker of Kurdistan Parliament

22 April 2021