Koya Municipality Files Legal Lawsuits Against Journalist Hazhar Rashid

Kashma Farouq, Member of the Media Monitoring Unit of the Kurdish Intellectuals Organization in the UK

The Koya Municipality has officially filed two legal complaints against journalist Hazhar Rashid in response to content he published on his personal Facebook page. The lawsuits accuse him of “defamation” against municipal institutions.

Content of the Complaints:

According to follow-ups and statements obtained by the Kurdish Intellectuals Organization in the UK from Hazhar rashid, the lawsuits center on two specific topics criticized by the journalist:

The Uprooting of Trees at Hawawan Park: The first complaint concerns Rashid’s criticism regarding the removal of trees along the Heibat Sultan double-carriageway. In his post, he questioned why 10-year-old trees, which added significant aesthetic value to the city, were being uprooted. He also noted that the Hawawan Park project has remained unfinished for a decade.
Assault on a Citizen: The second complaint relates to a post in which Rashid alleged that “the driver of a department head in Koya assaulted a citizen with a pistol and physical force.” Although the post was later edited to remove the phrase “covered in blood,” the municipality maintains that the post constitutes defamation.

Legal Concerns and Classification:

The primary concern for media organizations is the specific law being used to prosecute the case. Instead of treating the matter as a “publishing issue” under the Kurdistan Press Law (No. 35 of 2007), the complaints were filed under the Law on Misuse of Communication Devices.

Note: Utilizing the Law on Misuse of Communication Devices instead of the Press Law increases the risk of arrest and harsher penalties for journalists. This is widely viewed by advocates as a “setback for freedom of expression” in the region.

Conclusion

While Koya municipal authorities have not yet released further details regarding their legal justifications, local activists and journalists are calling for the dispute to be settled within the framework of the Press Law to avoid imprisonment and protect journalistic integrity.