The Consulate General of the Republic of Germany in Erbil organised a panel discussion for academics and professionals on the 'Legal protection of media freedom' on November 5th in Erbil. Professor Dr Saman Fawzi from the Law Department at the University of Human Development was an invited speaker. November 5th is the 'International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists'.

Dr Fawzi delved into the legal problems of press freedom and, specifically, journalists in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. He spoke from a legal point of view and talked about the protection of the legal rights of journalists, the need for introducing new laws, amending existing laws, and the need for interpreting existing laws by the Court of Cassation.

At another level, Dr Fawzi mentioned that the issue of pension and work injury insurance for journalists in Kurdistan must be resolved, and there must be a legal guarantee for their provision. He also mentioned that a journalist does not have to be a member of the journalists' syndicate to be protected by law.

Many judges attended the panel, and three other European consulates coordinated with the German Consulate for the organisation of the panel.