Iraq’s crackdown on media intensifies
Posted on [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] by [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] in [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Al-Baghdadia TV channel, Iraq. Photo: Screengrab
BAGHDAD,— Iraq’s Shi’ite-led authorities have shut the offices of two television channels popular with Sunni Iraqis and ordered a satirical show off air, tightening control over the media as political tensions rise in Baghdad.
The crackdown, which began in March, appears to be prompted by concerns that the channels could enflame sectarian rivalries which over-stretched security forces would struggle to contain. But it also raises fears over freedom of expression in Iraq.
The Communication and Media Commission (CMC), has [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] the Baghdad office of the pan-Arab broadcaster Al Jazeera, closed the local TV channel Al-Baghdadia, and ordered a halt to broadcasts of the satirical Albasheer Show.
It said Al Jazeera and Albasheer Show, which mocks powerful Iraqi figures in the spirit of The Daily Show in the United States or France’s Le Petit Journal, have violated a code of professional conduct.
The CMC is a state authority tasked with implementing government policy. It gave few details and declined requests for comment.
“They had some reservations about using the term ‘militias’ when referring to the Hashid Shaabi,” said Waleed Ibrahim, Al Jazeera’s Iraq bureau chief, referring to a coalition of mostly Shi’ite Muslim paramilitary groups formed to fight Islamic State.
He said the CMC also objected to opinions expressed on the Qatar-based channel by guests in talk-shows broadcast from Doha. “We tried to explain that these are the guests’ points of view and not necessarily ours,” he said by telephone from Jordan.
Al-Baghdadia, a television channel owned by Iraqi entrepreneur Awn al-Khashlok and featuring programming popular with Iraq’s Sunni minority, was shut down in March. A CMC statement said the channel lacked proper authorisation.
These are some of the strongest restrictions on media in the nearly two-year tenure of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, a moderate Shi’ite Islamist who came to office promising to mend the rift between Sunnis and the Shi’ite majority. His office did not respond to requests for comment.
Abadi’s predecessor, Nuri al-Maliki, decreed a state of emergency restricting media coverage in 2014 after Islamic State seized a third of the country’s territory. Those restrictions were eased when Abadi succeeded him.
Maliki, a close ally of Iran, also revoked Al Jazeera’s license a year earlier, accusing the Doha-based network of adopting a sectarian tone after it covered Sunni demonstrations against him. The license was restored last year.
Iraq’s Shi’ite-led governments have had volatile relations with nearby Qatar and other Gulf Arab countries since Sunni autocrat Saddam Hussein was toppled in 2003.
The country’s Iranian-backed leaders have accused their Sunni neighbours of employing well-funded media outlets to undermine Iraq’s political process by highlighting the suffering of Sunnis and covering anti-Maliki protests in 2013.
Shi’ite-backed media, in turn, face criticism of coverage accusing Gulf countries of supporting Sunni militancy in Iraq.
POLITICAL CRISIS
Iraq’s security forces, while battling Islamic State in the north and west, are on high alert in Baghdad. Bombings are still common in the capital — including three on Wednesday that killed at least 80 people — and a political crisis risks sinking into clashes between supporters of rival politicians.
The government has been crippled for weeks by disputes over Abadi’s proposal to replace party-affiliated ministers with independent technocrats following popular demands to dismantle political patronage networks.
Powerful Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has ordered his followers to protest in order to pressure Abadi to follow through on reform pledges.
Abadi has proposed a new cabinet lineup, but parliament has failed to approve it. Lawmakers scuffled inside the chamber a month ago and have not convened a session since demonstrators stormed the assembly complex two weeks later.
“With each political crisis, they look for areas that attract the public’s attention. Whenever a media outlet focuses on a problem, they order it to be shut down,” said Ziyad al-Ajili, head of the watchdog Iraqi Journalistic Freedoms Observatory.
“They are currently implementing the same decisions taken in the past, when freedom of press was truly nonexistent,” he said, referring to Maliki’s eight-year rule.
The CMC issued a warning over a programme aired on Al Ahad, a channel run by the Iranian-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia. The show’s host, Wajih Abbas, compared 7th century Muslim caliph Othman to Saddam Hussein, offending Sunni sentiments.
NO LAUGHING MATTER
Another target of the CMC was a group of young irreverent Iraqis who produce the satirical Albasheer Show from neighbouring Jordan.
Sumaria, an independent channel, was forced to take the programme off the air last month even though its sketches often satirize Islamic State, mocking the militants’ cruelty and violence.
The CMC ban was prompted by an episode that ridiculed a Shi’ite cleric for discussing whether drinking milk from a dead cow was religiously sanctioned. The show continues on Youtube and Deutsche Welle’s Arabic channel.
Its host, Ahmed al-Basheer, said he refused the government’s demand to alter the programme’s content.
“This is the formula of the show. This is how it is written and the level of freedom that it enjoys,” he said. “We will continue to criticise and ridicule those who are corrupt.”
Journalists face more than government censorship in Iraq. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said at least six journalists were killed in Islamic State-held Mosul last year, and in January two were gunned down in Diyala, an eastern area under government control.
Reporters Without Borders ranked Iraq 153 out of 180 in its 2016 World Press Freedom Index.
By Saif Hameed
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Posted on [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] by [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] in [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Al-Baghdadia TV channel, Iraq. Photo: Screengrab
BAGHDAD,— Iraq’s Shi’ite-led authorities have shut the offices of two television channels popular with Sunni Iraqis and ordered a satirical show off air, tightening control over the media as political tensions rise in Baghdad.
The crackdown, which began in March, appears to be prompted by concerns that the channels could enflame sectarian rivalries which over-stretched security forces would struggle to contain. But it also raises fears over freedom of expression in Iraq.
The Communication and Media Commission (CMC), has [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] the Baghdad office of the pan-Arab broadcaster Al Jazeera, closed the local TV channel Al-Baghdadia, and ordered a halt to broadcasts of the satirical Albasheer Show.
It said Al Jazeera and Albasheer Show, which mocks powerful Iraqi figures in the spirit of The Daily Show in the United States or France’s Le Petit Journal, have violated a code of professional conduct.
The CMC is a state authority tasked with implementing government policy. It gave few details and declined requests for comment.
“They had some reservations about using the term ‘militias’ when referring to the Hashid Shaabi,” said Waleed Ibrahim, Al Jazeera’s Iraq bureau chief, referring to a coalition of mostly Shi’ite Muslim paramilitary groups formed to fight Islamic State.
He said the CMC also objected to opinions expressed on the Qatar-based channel by guests in talk-shows broadcast from Doha. “We tried to explain that these are the guests’ points of view and not necessarily ours,” he said by telephone from Jordan.
Al-Baghdadia, a television channel owned by Iraqi entrepreneur Awn al-Khashlok and featuring programming popular with Iraq’s Sunni minority, was shut down in March. A CMC statement said the channel lacked proper authorisation.
These are some of the strongest restrictions on media in the nearly two-year tenure of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, a moderate Shi’ite Islamist who came to office promising to mend the rift between Sunnis and the Shi’ite majority. His office did not respond to requests for comment.
Abadi’s predecessor, Nuri al-Maliki, decreed a state of emergency restricting media coverage in 2014 after Islamic State seized a third of the country’s territory. Those restrictions were eased when Abadi succeeded him.
Maliki, a close ally of Iran, also revoked Al Jazeera’s license a year earlier, accusing the Doha-based network of adopting a sectarian tone after it covered Sunni demonstrations against him. The license was restored last year.
Iraq’s Shi’ite-led governments have had volatile relations with nearby Qatar and other Gulf Arab countries since Sunni autocrat Saddam Hussein was toppled in 2003.
The country’s Iranian-backed leaders have accused their Sunni neighbours of employing well-funded media outlets to undermine Iraq’s political process by highlighting the suffering of Sunnis and covering anti-Maliki protests in 2013.
Shi’ite-backed media, in turn, face criticism of coverage accusing Gulf countries of supporting Sunni militancy in Iraq.
POLITICAL CRISIS
Iraq’s security forces, while battling Islamic State in the north and west, are on high alert in Baghdad. Bombings are still common in the capital — including three on Wednesday that killed at least 80 people — and a political crisis risks sinking into clashes between supporters of rival politicians.
The government has been crippled for weeks by disputes over Abadi’s proposal to replace party-affiliated ministers with independent technocrats following popular demands to dismantle political patronage networks.
Powerful Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has ordered his followers to protest in order to pressure Abadi to follow through on reform pledges.
Abadi has proposed a new cabinet lineup, but parliament has failed to approve it. Lawmakers scuffled inside the chamber a month ago and have not convened a session since demonstrators stormed the assembly complex two weeks later.
“With each political crisis, they look for areas that attract the public’s attention. Whenever a media outlet focuses on a problem, they order it to be shut down,” said Ziyad al-Ajili, head of the watchdog Iraqi Journalistic Freedoms Observatory.
“They are currently implementing the same decisions taken in the past, when freedom of press was truly nonexistent,” he said, referring to Maliki’s eight-year rule.
The CMC issued a warning over a programme aired on Al Ahad, a channel run by the Iranian-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia. The show’s host, Wajih Abbas, compared 7th century Muslim caliph Othman to Saddam Hussein, offending Sunni sentiments.
NO LAUGHING MATTER
Another target of the CMC was a group of young irreverent Iraqis who produce the satirical Albasheer Show from neighbouring Jordan.
Sumaria, an independent channel, was forced to take the programme off the air last month even though its sketches often satirize Islamic State, mocking the militants’ cruelty and violence.
The CMC ban was prompted by an episode that ridiculed a Shi’ite cleric for discussing whether drinking milk from a dead cow was religiously sanctioned. The show continues on Youtube and Deutsche Welle’s Arabic channel.
Its host, Ahmed al-Basheer, said he refused the government’s demand to alter the programme’s content.
“This is the formula of the show. This is how it is written and the level of freedom that it enjoys,” he said. “We will continue to criticise and ridicule those who are corrupt.”
Journalists face more than government censorship in Iraq. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said at least six journalists were killed in Islamic State-held Mosul last year, and in January two were gunned down in Diyala, an eastern area under government control.
Reporters Without Borders ranked Iraq 153 out of 180 in its 2016 World Press Freedom Index.
By Saif Hameed
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Today at 6:53 am by Rocky
» MM&C The Iraqi Private Banks Association told NEWS: These are the results of the Prime Minister’s me
Today at 6:52 am by Rocky
» After a break of more than 9 years.. the resumption of a government trade meeting between Iraq and A
Today at 6:51 am by Rocky
» Deputy: The general amnesty law will be passed
Today at 6:46 am by Rocky
» A change in the fuel smuggling map... “control” over the central ports and “laxity” in the north
Today at 6:43 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani takes three urgent decisions to block the wheat mafias in Iraq
Today at 6:41 am by Rocky
» Electricity embarks on an 11-axis plan to develop the energy sector
Today at 6:39 am by Rocky
» “Thug and smuggler.” A female representative talks about a crocodile in Parliament blackmailing exec
Today at 6:37 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani told the US State Department: Iraq is keen to strengthen its democratic system
Today at 6:36 am by Rocky
» The Central Bank sells more than $275 million at auction today
Today at 6:34 am by Rocky
» The Minister of Commerce stresses the observance of the Iraqi standard in the supply of goods
Today at 6:33 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi Trade Bank announces its participation in the process of localizing the salaries of Kurdis
Today at 6:32 am by Rocky
» Iraq adopts an advanced system to combat money laundering and terrorist financing
Today at 5:25 am by Rocky
» Increase in Euphrates River levels due to Turkish water releases
Today at 5:22 am by Rocky
» Demands the need to legislate the capital law
Today at 5:21 am by Rocky
» Parliament decided to extend the legislative term by one month
Today at 5:20 am by Rocky
» A bank participating in the process of localizing the salaries of employees in the region
Today at 5:18 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary request to the Ministry of Finance regarding defense mobilization dues/document
Today at 5:17 am by Rocky
» Dollar prices in Baghdad and Kurdistan today
Today at 5:16 am by Rocky
» Al-Rasheed decides to increase the ceiling for granting “construction” loans to 75 million dinars
Today at 5:14 am by Rocky
» A government plan to expand the construction of water harvesting dams
Today at 5:12 am by Rocky
» Frozen or banned? An Iranian official reveals the fate of Tehran’s money in Baghdad
Today at 5:11 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi Trade Bank participates in the process of localizing the salaries of Kurdistan Region empl
Today at 5:10 am by Rocky
» Finance confirms the Iraqi government's desire to benefit from the expertise of French companies
Today at 5:09 am by Rocky
» After targeting its branch in Kurdistan... Dana Gas announces a decrease in its profits to $38 milli
Today at 5:08 am by Rocky
» A parliamentary understanding to extend the legislative term to approve the 2024 budget schedules
Today at 5:08 am by Rocky
» Stopping the Commission’s procedures regarding the region’s elections
Today at 5:06 am by Rocky
» Foreign oil companies violate Iraqi laws
Today at 5:05 am by Rocky
» The position of Speaker of Parliament depends on the political agreement
Today at 5:04 am by Rocky
» The Ministry of Finance decides to send the April salary to the Kurdistan region
Today at 5:02 am by Rocky
» It did not reach the Council.. Parliament determines the mechanisms for dealing with the 2024 budget
Today at 5:01 am by Rocky
» 88 projects awaiting resolution.. What will happen to the stalled laws in Parliament? - Urgent
Today at 5:00 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani receives the US Undersecretary of State
Today at 4:59 am by Rocky
» It did not reach the Council.. Parliament determines the mechanisms for dealing with the 2024 budget
Today at 4:57 am by Rocky
» Advisor to Al-Sudani: Sanctions on 32 private banks caused financial problems inside Iraq (video)
Today at 4:56 am by Rocky
» An expert comments on the use of the Iraqi currency in commercial transactions with Iran
Today at 4:54 am by Rocky
» Why does Iraq depend on foreign banks for dollar transfers?
Today at 4:53 am by Rocky
» Deputy: The fuel smuggling map in Iraq has “radically changed” from what it was years ago
Today at 4:52 am by Rocky
» Petroleum Products announces a decrease in gasoline imports by about 8 million liters
Today at 4:51 am by Rocky
» Government advisor: Collections will shift almost completely to electronic payment in the middle of
Today at 4:49 am by Rocky
» Complete decisions of the Council of Ministers session
Today at 4:48 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani chairs the first meeting to restructure the government apparatus
Today at 4:47 am by Rocky
» The National University holds its second international scientific conference with the participation
Today at 4:46 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary proposals to extend the legislative term of the House of Representatives to resolve th
Today at 4:45 am by Rocky
» Hanoun: We are working on preparing a six-year strategy to combat corruption based on technology
Today at 4:44 am by Rocky
» The Ministerial Council for the Economy decides to stop the import of 6 crops due to their abundance
Today at 4:42 am by Rocky
» Minister of Industry: He turned to Chinese companies to supply Iraq with spongy iron ores
Today at 4:42 am by Rocky
» A foreign report reveals the existence of an undeclared Iraqi-British agreement regarding asylum see
Today at 4:41 am by Rocky
» “Fares Issa” visits the Ministry of Finance and Economy in the Kurdistan Region
Today at 4:39 am by Rocky
» Nechirvan Barzani: We want to address all problems with Iran and begin a new phase of relations
Today at 4:38 am by Rocky
» The position of Speaker of Parliament.. Representatives confirm: “There is no amendment to the bylaw
Today at 4:36 am by Rocky
» Demands to put an end to foreign workers
Today at 4:34 am by Rocky
» Iranian official: We do not have frozen funds in Iraq
Today at 4:33 am by Rocky
» Entering 31 countries in the world without a visa.. A look at the Iraqi passport during 2024
Today at 4:32 am by Rocky
» An Iranian plan to export goods to Iraq worth $3 billion
Today at 4:31 am by Rocky
» The Board of Commissioners decides to suspend the technical and financial procedures for the Kurdist
Today at 4:29 am by Rocky
» Baghdad Governorate approves the two paths of the development road
Today at 4:28 am by Rocky
» Mawazine publishes the full decisions of the Council of Ministers at its session today
Today at 4:26 am by Rocky
» Asaib: The Sunnis are accustomed to having an external actor leading them
Today at 4:25 am by Rocky
» The Iranian ambassador in Baghdad: The Sudanese government enjoys the support of the Shiite and Sunn
Today at 4:24 am by Rocky
» Politician: Representatives of Taqadum “hurt” Al-Halbousi and their party
Today at 4:23 am by Rocky
» “Deficit” is the password.. Parliamentary Finance decodes the budget delay
Today at 4:22 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: The tourism sector will be a substitute resource for oil in the coming years
Today at 4:20 am by Rocky
» Finance confirms the Iraqi government's desire to benefit from the expertise of French companies
Today at 4:19 am by Rocky
» utube 5/4/24 MM&C Iraq Dinar- IQD Update - No Float of Exchange Rate - Budget -2024 - Schedules -
Yesterday at 5:10 pm by Rocky
» After a break of more than 9 years.. the resumption of a government trade meeting between Iraq and A
Yesterday at 8:06 am by Rocky
» A deputy in finance expects the Council of Ministers to approve the budget schedules in today’s sess
Yesterday at 8:02 am by Rocky
» A deputy resolves the controversy over the “transfer supplement” in two ministries
Yesterday at 8:01 am by Rocky
» Al-Halbousi’s “vacant” seat.. Will the coordination framework end the “Taqaddum” dream of an allianc
Yesterday at 7:59 am by Rocky
» The Federal Government issues a state order to stop the Commission’s work procedures regarding the K
Yesterday at 7:57 am by Rocky
» Including the freedom to choose the bank and withdraw the salary for “free”... “My Account” features
Yesterday at 7:55 am by Rocky
» The Central Bank sells more than $250 million during its daily auction
Yesterday at 7:51 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani receives a delegation from the Union of Arab Banks
Yesterday at 7:44 am by Rocky
» Iraq and the United States of America hold trade meetings in Washington
Yesterday at 7:43 am by Rocky
» In pictures... The activities of the Union of Arab Banks conference in Baghdad, “Day Two”
Yesterday at 7:42 am by Rocky
» The Director General of Ports announces the completion of berths (3) and (4) in Al-Faw Grand Port
Yesterday at 7:40 am by Rocky
» The Council of Ministers holds its regular session headed by Al-Sudani
Yesterday at 7:38 am by Rocky
» Parliament publishes the agenda of its session for next Thursday
Yesterday at 7:37 am by Rocky
» A government measure to reduce "money laundering" using the buying and selling of real estate in Ira
Yesterday at 7:35 am by Rocky
» Iraq proposes establishing a specialized council to combat corruption in Arab countries
Yesterday at 7:32 am by Rocky
» Al-Mawarid intends to establish infrastructure and investment projects for the water sector in Iraq
Yesterday at 7:30 am by Rocky
» The Federal Court issues a decision regarding postponing the election of the Speaker of the House of
Yesterday at 7:28 am by Rocky
» A government meeting to discuss financing and implementation mechanisms for the Development Road Pro
Yesterday at 5:12 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: Iraqi banks are on the right track with financial transfers
Yesterday at 5:11 am by Rocky
» Al-Khazali: The Turkish side is still imposing its conditions on Iraq
Yesterday at 5:08 am by Rocky
» Rights: We refuse to amend the bylaws of Parliament under political influence and desires
Yesterday at 5:07 am by Rocky
» Nechirvan Barzani: We want to address all problems with Iran and begin a new phase of relations
Yesterday at 5:05 am by Rocky
» Today, Iraq and Iran signed the minutes of a joint meeting related to trade
Yesterday at 5:03 am by Rocky
» KPMG International begins auditing the revenues of telephone companies operating in Iraq
Yesterday at 5:02 am by Rocky
» Oil: The seventh batch of equipment for the gas manufacturing project in the Nasiriyah and Gharraf f
Yesterday at 5:01 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani assures the French ambassador of Iraq’s openness to “fruitful” partnerships
Yesterday at 5:00 am by Rocky
» Government move to install gold screening devices at 4 airports
Yesterday at 4:59 am by Rocky
» Sudanese Advisor: The oil sector is witnessing a rapid renaissance
Yesterday at 4:58 am by Rocky
» Opening offices specialized in employing people with disabilities
Yesterday at 4:57 am by Rocky
» Infrastructure and investment projects for the water sector in Iraq
Yesterday at 4:56 am by Rocky
» Adopting the electronic system in the next census
Yesterday at 4:55 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani chairs the first meeting to restructure the government apparatus
Yesterday at 4:54 am by Rocky
» Business Council: Efforts to open a branch of the Chinese Bank in Iraq
Yesterday at 4:53 am by Rocky
» Iraqi diplomacy is balanced openness
Yesterday at 4:52 am by Rocky