Authorities close opposition news channel office in Erbil

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Authorities on Wednesday closed the office of a broadcaster owned by the main opposition leader, Shaswar Abdulwahid. Officials insisted the move was based on court orders and unrelated to politics, as Abdulwahid’s party accused the ruling party of targeting media freedom.

Erbil Governor Omed Xoshnaw told Rudaw that authorities have begun enforcing a decision to shut down Nalia Radio and Television (NRT) offices across the Kurdistan Region following complaints filed against the channel.

“Previously, complaints were filed against NRT on charges of disrespecting national symbols, and today, by order of the public prosecutor, a decision was issued to close all its offices in the Kurdistan Region,” Xoshnaw said.

He added that implementation has already begun in Erbil, adding that the ruling orders the closure of all of the offices of the news channel in the Kurdistan Region.

Xoshnaw stressed that the action was legal rather than political. “The force that closed the office was the police and implemented a court order, and it has nothing to do with politics,” he said.

NRT is owned by Shaswar Abdulwahid, leader of the Kurdistan Region’s largest opposition party, the New Generation Movement (NGM).

The closure comes amid heightened political tensions following stalled negotiations to form the Kurdistan Regional Government’s tenth cabinet. In mid-January, Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leader Bafel Talabani accepted a proposal by Abdulwahid to form an alliance aimed at establishing a government without the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).

Srwa Abdulwahid, head of the New Generation Movement’s bloc in the Iraqi parliament and the party leader’s sister, accused the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) of orchestrating the closure.

She claimed in a post on X that a security force affiliated with the KDP “confiscated equipment and forcibly shut down the office” during the raid.

She added that “NRT channel practices its professional work in conveying the truth and covering events, but the Kurdistan Democratic Party continues its repressive approach toward media freedom, recognizing only loyal media that drums for the authority, and categorically rejecting any free opinion or critical voice.”

NRT claimed that they had not received any notices from local authorities for the closure - a claim rejected by the governor.

The director of the Metro Center for Journalists’ Rights and Advocacy said during a press conference that proper procedures were not followed in the decision to shut down NRT.

The case adds to a series of legal disputes involving Abdulwahid. He was detained by Sulaimani security forces in mid-August and later sentenced to five months in prison on charges related to making serious threats against individuals, their property, or their reputations. The New Generation Movement has described the trial as politically motivated.

The Kurdistan Regional Government has also auctioned several of Abdulwahid’s properties over his failure to repay government loans, and he faces additional charges.

The Kurdistan Region held long-delayed parliamentary elections in October 2024, in which the KDP won 39 of the 100 seats, while the PUK secured 23. No party secured an outright majority, and negotiations to form a new government have stalled for months amid disputes over governance mechanisms and key cabinet posts.