The RojNews agency based in South Kurdistan calls for the immediate release of its editor who was kidnapped by the forces of the ruling party, KDP, at the border crossing between Syria and Iraq 17 days ago.
There is still no news of the journalist Silêman Ehmed, who was abducted by KDP security forces in South Kurdistan on 25 October. The employee of the Arabic-language editorial team of the RojNews agency initially was kidnapped by the KDP forces at the Sêmalka-Pêşxabûr border crossing between the Autonomous Region of North-East Syria and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq after visiting his family in Aleppo.
The last contact with him was a telephone conversation with his mother when he was already in the KDP's area of responsibility. Six days later, the Asayish (local security agency) in Duhok announced that they accused the journalist of being a member of the PKK and, therefore, they had arrested him.
Ehmed comes from Afrin and has been working for the RojNews agency in South Kurdistan for five years.
Rojnews condemns the illegal abduction of Silêman Ehmed and demands immediate clarification about his situation as well as his immediate release. The agency holds the KDP responsible for the life and safety of its editor.
Many Kurdish media organizations, such as the Kurdish PEN Center (Navenda PEN a Kurd), the Dicle Fırat Journalists' Association (DFG) based in Amed and the Mesopotamian Journalists' Association, as well as international associations such as Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the CPJ are calling on the KDP to release Silêman Ehmed.
