Shafaq News / A police element in Kirkuk police has prevented on Tuesday,   Shafaq News Agency’s reporter from taking photos and preparing a report on the situation of the city that witnessed special measures to curb Corona virus (Covid-19).

Our reporter in Kirkuk, colleague Hazhar Rashid, said that while covering the procedures and filming the street movement in Rahim Awa neighborhood, a member of the local police suddenly stormed the coverage and prevented him from filming, and threatened to break his private camera if he did not delete all the videos and cancel the coverage.

Rashid said that he had special fundamental approvals from the police leadership and the crisis cell that allowed him to cover smoothly, but the security element violated all this rights and threatened him to break his equipment.

Shafaq News Agency strongly condemns preventing colleagues from doing their jobs, and considers it a clear violation of the freedom of journalism.

The Agency demands the relevant authorities in Kirkuk, to allow journalists and media colleagues to play their role and stop the attacks on journalists.

Iraq is ranked 156th out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2019 World Press Freedom Index.