I received an email from a journalist I know in Iraqi Kurdistan asking for publicity for the cause of free speech and free media in his country. This essay from Hawlati calls for the region to be freed from the duopoly of power by the PDK and the PUK; it got the author, Hawez Hawezi, in trouble with the PUK authorities. The news release from the Commmittee to Protect Journalists describes that case and the related case of Kamal Karim. The latter case is also described in a release from Amnesty International.
Emails and faxes in support of freedom of speech and a free and independent media can be sent to the Iraqi Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Kurdistan is a good candidate for the most politicized society in the world. No wonder they have turnout of over 90% in each election. Everyone there is either KDP or PUK, largely along the family or tribal lines. I was in Erbil last year, and it is just amazing how these two parties are ubiquitous there. They even wawe partisan flags everywhere — not Kurdistani, and not a single Iraqi flag. The whole teritory of Kurdistan is roughly divided between KDP and PUK, and all main newspapers are partisan.
Great to hear now that there are some independent voices too.
While you’re at it, you might want to send them e-mails and faxes expressing outrage at the ongoing suppression of Iraq’s indigenous Assyrian Christians, and calling for four-region rather than a three-region framework for Iraq’s government.
The second agenda item is pretty unlikely to work. About as likely as demanding that the U.S. government institute special homelands for Hispanic Americans.
How about focusing on free speech when you write? Either that, or send such a big list of demands, that you can be sure that they won’t act on any of them. Then they’ll be sure not to do anything proper.
Otto’s advice is pretty bad. I have worked on letter writing campaigns (Amnesty International) in the past, and I can tell you that letters should focus on one topic only if they are going to be successful.