"In any other democracy, an article like mine that exposes corruption in the government would lead to immediate resignation of the official in question. But in Kurdistan, it unfortunately means immediate arrest of the journalist." In an interview with APN, Soran Omar, publisher and editor-in-chief of the Rega monthly, discusses the consequences he faces for reporting on corruption and abuse of power. A recent article in his paper has led to death threats from anonymous sources and a lawsuit.

Thirty-year old Soran Omar was arrested by Kurdistani police on 18 March 2009. The arrest was made following a lawsuit filed by the former director of the Chwarqurna District's Municipality against Omar, who had criticized the official of corruption and abuse of power.

In the seventh issue of Rega, Omar published an article claiming that the Kurdish government official had given public property (four pieces of land) to a woman and her three daughters in exchange for sexual favours. "As soon as the article came out; he [the official] sent out people to buy all the copies of the magazine from the shops and stores of the town, and then burnt them," Omar said to APN. "He did it so no one would find out about his shameful scandal."

The police in Rania, a town near the city of Sulaimaniya, initially asked Omar to report to the police station for questioning, however, upon his arrival there he was arrested. The order was then transferred to Sulaimaniya. Omar was then sent to Rania's main prison, where he posted bail of 3 million Iraqi dinars (US$2,500), an amount he describes as "a true burden and the heaviest fine" that he has ever heard of given to a journalist in Kurdistan.

"I have not run away from the law," he said to APN. "The police should simply have informed me about the lawsuit and given me a date and time to appear in court; I would have shown up with all my proving documents."

As Omar arrived at the prison in Rania, journalists and people from civil society organizations were demonstrating in front of the prison gates. "They were all crying out for my immediate release, shouting that they would not allow a free journalist to remain overnight in their city's prisons," he said.

"The way the court treats independent journalists in Kurdistan is the same way it treats murderers, thieves or burglars. And the reason the government charges free and independent newspapers such huge amounts of money in fines is only to push them into bankruptcy, and to kill the free press." Omar explains that one would never see a journalist from a party-affiliated or government-funded publication get arrested in Kurdistan. He adds that these journalists are forced to cover up their funders' corrupt deeds and to sugar-coat their stories. "They are afraid for their safety and of losing their jobs."

He has now been granted a two-week temporary release from prison before being expected to appear in court to defend his case. "I have been informed that the trial will be held by the end of March or in early April. I am waiting for the court to notify me of the exact date."

Omar claims he has 16 pieces of government documents that corroborate his article. Without mention of how they were obtained, he describes them as "very dangerous evidence, proving the official has abused his power for his personal gain and advantage."

"One of these documents was issued by the General Secret and Intelligence Agency of the Kurdistan Regional Government," Omar said. "It clearly demands that there be secret investigations made on the suspected official." These investigations were never carried out because of the serious corruption within the government, and the possibility of more people being involved in the case, according to Omar.

Omar's main concern today is that freedom of media in Iraqi Kurdistan is under serious threat. "There are extreme limits on press freedom due to pressures from the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan," he said. "This is mainly because free media have been very successful in unveiling much of the political parties' corruptions - corruptions they never thought would be discovered."

"In any other democracy, an article like mine that exposes corruption in the government would lead to the immediate resignation of the official in question. But in Kurdistan, it unfortunately means immediate arrest of the journalist."

To Omar, his arrest means nothing but "humiliation as an independent journalist, and disgrace to the free press." He finds the decision to detain a free journalist to be very hypocritical of the local Kurdish government, especially because it "contradicts every bill that Kurdistan Parliament has recently passed to supposedly protect journalists."

Omar's supporters are planning a campaign to raise funds to cover his bail paid to the Sulaimaniya court. "This campaign will take place so that people become more aware of our corrupt government system, and to let them know what dishonourable acts our officials are involved in," Omar says.

Despite the article published in Rega, Omar believes "the [Kurdish] government will not be able to shut down the magazine, because it has its official permit from the Kurdistan Regional Government's Ministry of Culture, and is registered as a free and private media outlet."

Rega was launched on 10 June 2008. It is a Kurdish-language monthly, with a focus on general news and politics. Being fully independent and financially self-sustainable, the publication claims that it does not accept nor has ever received any form of financial assistance from any government agency or political party. Headquartered in Sulaimaniya, Rega has so far published 9 issues, with roughly 8,000 copies per issue. It is circulated in all parts of Erbil, Duhok, Kirkuk, and Sulaimaniya provinces.