Iraqi Kurdistan closes opposition TV channel

Authorities in Iraq's Kurdistan region on Wednesday closed a TV channel belonging to opposition leader Shaswar Abdulwahid, who had recently served a prison sentence.

Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw said the region's "public prosecutor has ordered the closure of the offices of NRT media in the Kurdistan Region," starting with its Erbil bureau, which was shut on Wednesday.

He said a "complaint had been filed against NRT for insulting national symbols," but gave no further details about who filed it or what it contained.

He added that "the matter was not political".

Iraqi Kurdistan portrays itself as a haven of stability, but activists frequently denounce violations of press freedom, arbitrary arrests of journalists and non-respect for the right to protest.

Abdulwahid, a businessman-turned-politician, heads the New Generation party, which serves as the main opposition to the autonomous Kurdish region's two historic parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).

He has been arrested several times since he launched his party in 2017.

He was released from prison in January after serving several months in a defamation case.

Srwa Abdulwahid, sister of Shaswar and the head of the New Generation parliamentary bloc, accused the KDP of "repressing" the media and "only recognising outlets loyal to and praising the authorities."

The METRO centre for press freedom in Kurdistan denounced NRT's closure.

"Authorities are unable to deal properly with the media and journalists, and they are afraid of their work," the centre's director Diyar Mohamed told AFP.