LOC22:25
19:25 GMT
BRUSSELS, Nov 6 (KUNA) -- The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) Friday expressed support to its Iraqi Kurdistan affiliate, the Kurdistan Journalists Syndicate (KJS), and its legal action against the security forces in Kurdistan Region of Iraq, following the shutting down of two TV stations last October without a court order.
"We stand by our affiliate in the Kurdistan region of Iraq and urge the authorities to respect the law and freedom of the press and stop interfering with journalists' work of reporting the truth," said the IFJ President, Jim Boumelha, in a statement.
The KJS said it took legal action against the closure of two TV stations, NRT in Irbil city and KNN in Dohouk last 10 October.
In addition to the measure to close stations, several media offices have been attacked in the region and journalists have been accused of supporting rival political parties amid political tension between the ruling party of President Masoud Barzani and the other parties, noted the statement.
There has not been a reaction from the regional government of Iraq's Kurdistan over the closure.
The Brussels-based IFJ represents around 600,000 journalists in 179 unions and associations across 139 countries worldwide. (end)
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