Zoom TV raid sparks outcry in Iraq's al-Sulaymaniyah

Shafaq News – Al-Sulaymaniyah

A Kurdish press watchdog on Sunday denounced the armed takeover of Zoom TV in al-Sulaymaniyah, urging Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leader Bafel Talabani to hand the channel back to its staff.

In a statement, Metro Center for Journalists’ Rights said security forces stormed the office on August 22, seized broadcasting equipment, and remain inside. It warned the move mirrored the 2021 confiscation of iPLUS TV, another station formerly backed by Kurdistan People's Front (PFP) Leader Lahur Sheikh Jangi.

Zoom TV, affiliated with the PFP, went off air following the raid. Director Hemen Mahmoud has demanded the immediate return of the office and equipment.

The attack followed clashes in the province, when security forices took control of the PFP headquarters and the house of Sheikh Jangi.