Kurdish Journalists' Union Proposed

Several journalists are drafting a proposal to form a free and professional Journalists' Union and have called on journalists to support their efforts. Simko Mohammad, who leads the project, said the goal is not to replace the Kurdistan Journalists' Syndicate but that journalists need (protection of their) professional rights, "which are violated daily." (The Kurdistan Journalists' Syndicate is a party-led organization that many journalists say do not properly defend them. Arrests and harassment of journalists by Kurdish security officials is on the rise.) Twenty-five journalists have signed the proposal.