On the morning of Thursday a correspondent of the independent biweekly Hawlati was arrested in Kirkuk, while conducting his journalistic duty, according to a report published in Hawlati on Thursday.

Dana Jamil, a Hawlati journalist, visited Kirkuk to take photographs for the paper when he was arrested by Kirkuk police and Hawlati’s attempt to secure his release was failed. Dana Jamil is still in the hands of Kurdish police in Kirkuk.

The Kurdistan Regional Government authorities are reducing the freedom of media in Kurdistan, attempting to control information only via their media.

Update: In a telephone conversation late London time on Thursday, Mr Kamal Rauf, the managing director of Hawlati, informed KrudishMedia.com that Dana Jamil was released after several hours of detention for a crime of being a free journalist.