According to Kordpress, the Metro Media Center in a statement on the occasion of May 3rd, World Press Freedom Day, while emphasizing the slogan of "Building a future in which peace reigns", asked the media to play their role in strengthening democratic dialogue and avoiding tension and chaos.

The statement, published in both Kurdish and English languages, states that this year's World Press Freedom Day conference will be held in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, with the same slogan, and is an opportunity to re-emphasize the importance of freedom of expression as one of the fundamental pillars of the information society.

Citing UNESCO's point of view, Metro announced that free and independent media are not only responsible for conveying news, but are also an important tool for promoting the culture of dialogue and building bridges of understanding between communities.

In another part of this statement, referring to the Reporters Without Borders report, it is stated that Iraq has faced a seven-point drop in the media freedom index, and at the same time, the laws related to journalism are not fully implemented in the Kurdistan Region.

According to this report, last year, 315 violations were registered against 252 journalists and media, and cases such as arrests, threats, obstruction of news coverage, and attacks on field reporters continue.

This center also pointed to the closure of some media outlets and the domination of "political money" over the media space and considered it a factor for the escalation of political tensions.

Metro has raised several specific demands, the most important of which are the release of two imprisoned journalists, Shirvan Shirvani and Qareman Shokri, the full implementation of laws related to journalism and the right to access information, and stopping the arrest of journalists in cases related to publication.

The center also called for an end to pressures on journalists, including searching their cellphones without a warrant, and to stop the fight against fake news from being used as a pretext for repression.

In the end, Metro emphasized that World Press Freedom Day is an opportunity to examine the challenges facing journalists, fight misinformation and discuss the role of social networks and new technologies, including artificial intelligence, in the future of media.