Erbil orders broadcasters to drop Arab, foreign outlets over ‘disrespect’ to Kurdish nation

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Erbil’s culture ministry has instructed several prominent broadcasters across the Kurdistan Region to halt the airing of “foreign and Arabic channels,” arguing that these outlets are fueling “chaos” amid the “current situation of Kurdistan” and showing “disrespect toward the Kurdish nation.”

The directive comes a day after a major Kurdish broadcaster dropped several Saudi- and Qatari-funded channels in protest of their coverage of recent developments in northeast Syria (Rojava).

In an official letter posted on its Facebook page late Wednesday, the ministry directed the broadcasting channels “Najmat al-Aalam, United Mix Media, Live Dream, Family Box, and OBOX” to “halt the broadcast of all foreign and Arabic channels on your platforms.”

The ministry added that “this specifically concerns channels that have caused chaos and social disruption in the current situation of Kurdistan, as well as disrespect toward the Kurdish nation,” noting that “broadcasting these channels violates… regulations concerning licensing and frequency allocation.

Erbil’s culture ministry affirmed that “it is mandatory that broadcasts be restricted to local channels only,” warning that “failure to comply with this notice will prompt immediate legal action to enforce its provisions.”

While the ministry did not explicitly define what it meant by “the current situation of Kurdistan,” the decision is believed to be largely linked to coverage by certain pan-Arab and foreign channels of the deadly events in northeast Syria (Rojava), which Kurdish communities refer to as the western part of Greater Kurdistan.

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 ISIS. The areas now seized by Damascus and its affiliated militants 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 displaced an estimated 100,000 people, according to UN figures, the majority of whom are Kurds. The crisis has also drawn international attention, particularly among Kurdish communities in the diaspora and in the Kurdistan Region, where hundreds of thousands have been protesting in support of their fellow Kurds.

The Kurdish culture ministry’s directive follows a move earlier this week by a major broadcasting company in the Kurdistan Region, which suspended the transmission of three pan-Arab news outlets - Saudi-owned Al Arabiya and Al Hadath, and Qatar’s Al Jazeera - in protest of their coverage of recent events in 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.

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 stated on Tuesday, “We consider it our moral duty to protect our subscribers. Any channel that violates our filters will be banned.”

With more broadcasters now instructed to restrict outlets considered harmful to “the Kurdish nation,” access to these channels for many subscribers across the Kurdistan Region is likely to be blocked as well.