Saturday, February 13, 2010

Kurdish journalist again attacked


11-02-2010

By Wladimir van Wilgenburg

Rudaw - The 32-year-old editor of the independent Kurdish-language bi-monthly Jehan (World) Nabaz Goran was again assaulted on Tuesday in downtown Sulaimaniya.

The journalist was assaulted by two unknown men on Tuesday in down-town Sulaimaniya. He was slightly wounded, but managed to fight back the attackers, who fled.

“I was on my way in Sabunkaran quarter in Sulemaniyah, when two youths attacked me. But luckily, this time I could hit them and injured one of them on his face,” Goran told Rudaw. The journalist explained that some shopkeepers run after his attackers, but couldn’t capture them.

“I called police, and if they want to arrest the attackers, they can, as I have injured one of them on his face,” Goran added. The police say they are investigating the incident.

Nabaz Goran was attacked before in Erbil on 29 October. He suspects that he was attacked for criticizing the government in his articles. During the attack in October, unknown assailants wounded his face. The attack was condemned by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The journalist then blamed the ruling parties KDP and PUK for the attack.

© Rudaw