HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH IN KURDISTAN

That this House acknowledges the important role that non-governmental organisations (NGOs)can play; notes that one of the most high-profile NGOs, Human Rights Watch, released a report, Iraqi Kurdistan: Growing Effort to Silence Media, on 24 May 2011 which claimed that the Kurdistan Regional Government seems no more respectful of Kurdish rights to free speech than the government that preceded it; believes that this is an unjust allegation, given that the preceding government in Kurdistan was headed by Saddam Hussein who directed a campaign of genocide against the Kurds and brooked no dissent from the media or anyone else; further believes that while such hyperbole may attract headlines, it diminishes the credibility of Human Rights Watch and does nothing to contribute to the serious debate about how to protect journalists in Kurdistan through the rule of law, improved media rights, an emphasis on professional journalism and encouraging transparency, all of which are ably supported by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting, the Independent Kurdish Media Centre and other international NGOs; and further believes that Human Rights Watch should engage more seriously with all those who are seeking to further improve the media in Kurdistan.