CPJ Urges Swift Investigation into Shooting of Journalist Hemn Mamand in Sulaymaniyah

Peregraf 

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on Kurdish authorities to quickly investigate the motive behind the attempted assassination of journalist and activist Hemn Mamand, who was shot in Sulaymaniyah on Tuesday evening.

Mamand, a presenter at Sterk TV, had just left a restaurant when two men on a motorcycle opened fire on him before fleeing the scene, his colleague Barham Latif told CPJ. “The gunmen fired five shots. One bullet struck his arm, and shrapnel from another hit his abdomen,” Latif said. Mamand underwent surgery at Shar Hospital, where medical staff confirmed he is in stable condition.

“The targeted shooting of Mamand in the center of Sulaymaniyah appears to be an attempted assassination, and we are investigating whether it was connected with his political reporting,” said CPJ’s Middle East Regional Director Sara Qudah. “Authorities must transparently investigate, hold the perpetrators accountable, and ensure that journalists are safe.”

Mamand had earlier hosted his talk show Sarinj – Comment on Sterk TV, which covers human rights and Turkey’s military operations in the Kurdistan Region. He had also posted on Facebook that he repeatedly requested protection from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), citing threats linked to his activism and reporting.

Sterk TV, where Mamand works, is affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been banned in Iraq since 2024 and is considered a terrorist group by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU. The channel’s ties have heightened sensitivities amid ongoing Turkish military operations in the Kurdistan Region.

The Independent Commission for Human Rights in the Kurdistan Region strongly condemned the attack, calling it “an attempt to restrict the voice of freedom and journalism in Sulaymaniyah.” In a press release on Wednesday, the Commission urged security agencies and the Sulaymaniyah administration to arrest the perpetrators without delay. A team from the Commission visited Mamand in hospital following the shooting.

Metro Center for Journalists’ Rights also confirmed the details of the attack, with its director Diyari Mohammed noting that Mamand was shot twice and remains under medical supervision.

The Kurdistan Region Security Agency (Asayish) stated that the shooting occurred at 7:20 p.m. on September 2 and that an immediate investigation had been launched. “The investigation to locate the perpetrators is still ongoing,” spokesperson Salam Abdulkhaliq told CPJ.

The attack on Mamand adds to a growing pattern of threats and violence against journalists in the Kurdistan Region, where watchdogs have repeatedly warned that press freedom is under strain due to intimidation, arbitrary detention, and assaults on media workers.