Editor of top German magazine apologises to Kurdish official for article’s ‘misleading and wrong’ impression
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The editor-in-chief of a leading German news magazine has apologised to a Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) representative in the country, months after the magazine published a report that gave a “misleading and wrong” impression of the official’s actions.
In a January 2020 issue, Focus magazine ran a story with the headline 'The Frightening Friend', which described police investigation into the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Barzani family.
The article said that opponents of the Barzanis live in fear, and described two incidents in which opponents were allegedly harmed – one in which an investigating magistrate who was pursuing corruption and money laundering was killed in Iraq, and another of an Iraqi intelligence officer who was wounded in Germany.
The article included mention of Dilshad Barzani, the KRG’s representative in Germany.
“This article could easily raise the false impression that Dilshad Barzani was being investigated for corruption, money laundering, and other crimes, that he attempted to eliminate purportedly unpleasant investigators or members of the opposition,” Focus said in its January issue, “and that he intentionally tried to delay or impede investigations based on the good contacts between the Barzani family and the intelligence agencies.”
Focus said that the original article has been taken down after it accepted two preliminary injunctions from Berlin District Court, which banned the repetition of these and other statements made in the article.
”The described impression is misleading and wrong. The information to this end, which was provided by a source who spoke with Focus, is incorrect, “the statement said.
“Focus regrets the entire process and explicitly states herewith that we no longer adhere to the views expressed in that article.”
The magazine then described Dilshad Barzani’s relationship with the German government agencies as “pleasant, trusting” and his family as “guarantor of stability and peace in German-Kurdish relations, as well as in the Kurdistan-Iraq region.”
Focus editor-in-chief Robert Schneider met with Dilshad Barzani in Berlin and “apologised to him”, the statement said.
In a January 2020 issue, Focus magazine ran a story with the headline 'The Frightening Friend', which described police investigation into the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Barzani family.
The article said that opponents of the Barzanis live in fear, and described two incidents in which opponents were allegedly harmed – one in which an investigating magistrate who was pursuing corruption and money laundering was killed in Iraq, and another of an Iraqi intelligence officer who was wounded in Germany.
The article included mention of Dilshad Barzani, the KRG’s representative in Germany.
“This article could easily raise the false impression that Dilshad Barzani was being investigated for corruption, money laundering, and other crimes, that he attempted to eliminate purportedly unpleasant investigators or members of the opposition,” Focus said in its January issue, “and that he intentionally tried to delay or impede investigations based on the good contacts between the Barzani family and the intelligence agencies.”
Focus said that the original article has been taken down after it accepted two preliminary injunctions from Berlin District Court, which banned the repetition of these and other statements made in the article.
”The described impression is misleading and wrong. The information to this end, which was provided by a source who spoke with Focus, is incorrect, “the statement said.
“Focus regrets the entire process and explicitly states herewith that we no longer adhere to the views expressed in that article.”
The magazine then described Dilshad Barzani’s relationship with the German government agencies as “pleasant, trusting” and his family as “guarantor of stability and peace in German-Kurdish relations, as well as in the Kurdistan-Iraq region.”
Focus editor-in-chief Robert Schneider met with Dilshad Barzani in Berlin and “apologised to him”, the statement said.