Let Us Compel Them to Abide by Our Laws

Journalist Narmeen Othman Mohammed

Written by Journalist Narmeen Othman Mohammed.

Freedom of expression, in its simplest definition, is understood as the right of journalists and media institutions to gather and publish information, to express opinions, and to convey news to the public without prior censorship or coercive subordination to authority, while adhering to professional responsibility and respecting the rights of others.

Freedom of expression also entails guaranteeing an appropriate climate in which the press can fulfil its supervisory and enlightening role with freedom and independence, thereby serving society intellectually and academically. At its core, this definition is grounded in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which obliges every media institution and every journalist to be familiar with it and to commit to its application.

However, what we have recently witnessed in the coverage of news and events in Rojava (Western Kurdistan) by certain Arab satellite channels has stood in stark contradiction to these rules and principles. Clear violations and breaches of professional journalistic ethics have been recorded. Any observer proficient in the language could recognise from the very first moments of reporting the presence of a racist and extremist discourse underlying the content. Indeed, some of these coverages became instruments of incitement, fuelling the flames of war and confrontation between the new Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

With an unmistakable chauvinistic tendency, some of these channels launched attacks against the Kurdish people and fabricated accusations against them. In response, certain Kurdish accounts and platforms, driven by anger, resorted to inappropriate methods in attacking those channels and their presenters. Ultimately, as those channels persisted in their misleading and inflammatory approach. The Ministry of Culture in the Kurdistan Region issued an official statement naming a number of such outlets and warning of the need to alter or halt their content concerning the Kurdish issue and the situation of the Kurds in Rojava (Western Kurdistan). This was particularly necessary given that their methods of disseminating news and political analysis had become a source of anxiety and instability within Kurdish society and had contributed to the escalation of conflict there.

Now, following the signing of the agreement between the parties in Rojava (Western Kurdistan) and the end of the war, it is possible to calmly and carefully review the licensing records and activities of all Arab channels operating in both the historical and contemporary Kurdistan Region. A new evaluation of their orientations and activities should be undertaken, and they should be placed under strict oversight.

Those channels—while treated as honoured guests within the Region—must not be permitted to practice disinformation regarding our national and existential issues, nor to attack us from our own land, thereby transforming their media platforms into another form of toxic weapon aimed at undermining our existence and sowing discord.
Deterrent legal measures may be adopted, including the imposition of fines and even the closure of the offices of certain channels. It is inconceivable that, despite our sacrifices and resilience—which have forged for us an honorable history—we should be subjected to irresponsible attacks during our national commemorations and decisive battles.

This file requires serious handling and the establishment of clear legal mechanisms. Otherwise, allowing them to continue freely tampering with the internal fabric of Kurdish society will render us responsible for the consequences, and at that point, we shall have no right to complain of their conduct.