Talabani Acknowledges Journalist Killings, Offers No Guarantees for Safety

Qubad Talabani Acknowledges Journalist Killings, Offers No Guarantees for Safety in Kurdistan Region

In a sobering and controversial admission, Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani conceded that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) cannot ensure the safety of journalists. Speaking at the inauguration of a monument for martyred journalists in Sulaimani’s Azadi Park, Talabani stated, “We cannot guarantee that journalists will not be killed in the Kurdistan Region,” a shocking acknowledgment in a region where press freedom is already under severe pressure.

The monument honors 551 journalists who have been killed in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, a stark reminder of the lethal risks faced by media professionals. While Talabani declared, “No society can be a healthy society without freedom of opinion and freedom of the press,” his words seemed hollow to many observers who see little action to protect journalists from the threats of intimidation, imprisonment, or worse—death.

Critics, including Kurdfile, argue that this admission highlights a deeper issue: the growing impunity for attacks on journalists and the failure of the government to safeguard one of the pillars of a free society. In a region where many media outlets are controlled or influenced by political powers, Talabani’s remarks serve as a troubling reflection of the state of press freedom in Kurdistan.