In the west, freedom of speech is arguably something which we take for granted.
None of us can remember a time when the media did not have the right to criticise the government, to hold the wealthy and powerful to account, and to tell stories that need to be told.
One Ipswich man who arrived in the UK as a refugee last year had hoped to build a career doing precisely this – but was forced to leave his country for his own safety.
Farman Ahmed Abdulwahid, from Iraq, graduated from the University of Salahaddin with a degree in the ancient history of Iran, Iraq and Egypt in 2013.
He had hoped to make his living working in the media, sharing important information with the people.
In 2018, he began working at a TV station called Democracy.
“We made infographic videos. I was working in the preparation of the programme, because I had graduated from the history department,” explained Mr Ahmed, 31.
The clips compared Kurdish life in the past with the present day, focusing on Kurdish leaders.
“Kurdistan has done many things to get freedom in the past. Some things they did well, but after that, they changed. They used their power for themselves,” Mr Ahmed explained.
“That was what the infographics were about. They asked, why did they change?”
Not only did the government force the station to close, but Mr Ahmed and his fellow journalists were forced to sign documents, pledging never to work for the media again.
He therefore worked as freelancer for his next TV station, Rozh, with the station keeping the identities of he and his colleagues’ secret.
“After two or three months, we couldn’t work anymore,” he said.
“There were five of us but one man tried to reveal us to the government. We couldn’t stay any longer.
“I was on a trip with a friend of mine near the border with Turkey. I was informed by my manager at the TV station, you cannot come back. You will be arrested.”
Fearing that he would be imprisoned, he fled the country, and arrived in the UK in February 2022.
The difference between the media in the UK and Iraq was incredible.
“When I compare with my country, it is absolutely different,” Mr Ahmed said.
“In my country, the government don’t like the media. They think the media are fighting against them.
“They don’t accept different ideas. They just want the people to be quiet and agree with everything.”
He remembers watching the now-infamous video of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaking to camera whilst not wearing his seatbelt in a moving car, and the subsequent clamouring for him to be fined.
“People can criticise the Prime Minister very easily here,” he said.
Mr Ahmed has thrown himself into writing and creating online content here in Ipswich.
He is a regular visitor at The Hive in Norwich Road, a community hub which seeks to unite people from all different cultures. Here, he met his now close friend, Ramin Sayadi.
The two work together producing content for Mr Sayadi’s YouTube channel and are currently busy recording episodes for a podcast called ‘Woman’ which they hope to release in the near future. They have also appeared on the BBC Radio Suffolk show, ‘Belongings’, hosted by Angelle Joseph.
Mr Ahmed also continues to write and has had history articles published on the Kurdish-language website Kurdipedia.
He is determined that his career in the media will continue to flourish.
“I am unstoppable right now.”
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