Kurdish broadcaster suspends Qatari, Saudi-owned news outlets over Rojava coverage

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A broadcasting company operating in the Kurdistan Region, with hundreds of thousands of subscribers, has suspended the transmission of three major pan-Arab news outlets - the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya and Al Hadath, as well as Qatar’s Al Jazeera - in protest of their coverage of recent events in northeast Syria (Rojava).

Speaking to Rudaw on Tuesday, Omed Mohammed, technical manager of Mix Media, said the company applies strict standards to the channels it carries. “Our work at Mix Media is to transmit channel broadcasts, but we have filters in place,” he said, adding that channels deemed “inconsistent with the culture of Kurdistan and the interests of the Kurdistan Region” are not permitted.

Mohammed explained that such measures are common internationally, noting that channels accused of “spreading false information” are often banned. He cited the prohibition of Russia’s RT (Russia Today) in several Western countries following the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war.

He added that Mix Media had closely monitored the coverage of the suspended channels, saying their broadcasts were halted “due to the dissemination of false news and for acting against Kurdistan.”

Mix Media, which serves between 250,000 and 300,000 subscribers across the Kurdistan Region, further noted in a Tuesday statement, “We consider it our moral duty to protect our subscribers. Any channel that violates our filters will be banned.”

According to Mohammed, Mix Media broadcasts throughout the entire Kurdistan Region and that, so far, the company has received no complaints regarding the suspension. He said there is no clear timeline for restoring the channels, adding, “We will monitor their coverage, and the suspension will continue for as long as necessary.”

Since mid-January, the Syrian Arab Army and affiliated armed groups have advanced into areas previously held by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Aleppo, Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, and near the Kurdish-majority province of Hasaka in eastern Rojava.

The Kurdish-led SDF serve as the de facto military force in Rojava and are a key ally of the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat the Islamic State (ISIS). The areas now seized by Damascus and its affiliated forces were among those the SDF liberated from ISIS following the group’s declaration of its so-called caliphate in Syria and Iraq in 2014.

The Syrian offensive against Kurdish-led forces has drawn the attention of millions worldwide, including Kurds in the diaspora and in the Kurdistan Region, where hundreds of thousands have taken to the streets in support of their fellow Kurds and to collect donations for humanitarian aid.

The latest wave of displacement has unfolded despite a fragile US-brokered ceasefire that took effect last week. The 15-day truce was intended to facilitate the transfer of Islamic State (ISIS) detainees from SDF-run prisons to Iraq.

Earlier on Tuesday, 80 trucks carrying humanitarian aid worth more than 1.3 billion Iraqi dinars (about $932,000), collected through a Rudaw-organized fundraising campaign, were dispatched to Rojava.

The convoy marked the first delivery under Rudaw’s Ranj campaign - Kurdish for “struggle” - spearheaded by prominent Kurdish media personality and Rudaw lead anchor Ranj Sangawi.

Each truck is carrying 10 tons of aid and is expected to complete delivery in the coming days. In total, more than 1,000 tons of assistance has been accumulated, including food, medicine, daily necessities, blankets, heaters, clothing, and more.

The second phase of delivery is expected in coming days.