Iraq / Middle East & North Africa

  
A Jordanian police vehicle is seen near the Israeli border on November 13, 2019. Jordanian authorities recently suspended broadcaster Dijlah TV, and the station's offices in Iraq were raided by local authorities. (Reuters/Muhammad Hamed)

Dijlah TV broadcaster suspended for 1 month in Jordan, offices raided in Iraq

Beirut, January 28, 2020 — Jordanian authorities should immediately lift the suspension of Dijlah TV and allow the station to broadcast freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Iraqi demonstrators gather in Basra on January 10. Gunmen killed two journalists from the Iraqi broadcaster Dijlah TV, who were covering the protests. (Reuters/Essam al-Sudani)

Gunmen open fire on car, kill 2 Dijlah TV journalists at Iraq protest

Beirut, January 10, 2020—The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned the killing of two journalists working for the Iraqi broadcaster Dijlah TV, and urged Iraqi authorities to immediately open an investigation and hold those responsible to account.

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Iraqis gather in Basra, Iraq, during a funeral procession on January 7, 2020, for militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was killed by a U.S. airstrike at Baghdad airport. (Reuters/Essam al-Sudani)

CPJ Safety Advisory: Iraq Safety Advisory

In wake of the January 3, 2020, U.S. airstrike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Mohandis, pro-Iranian militias have warned that “all retaliation options are on the table,” as reported by The Independent. According to CPJ research, pro-Iran militias, including those known as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), have…

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Demonstrators are seen in Tahrir Square in Baghdad, Iraq, on December 6, 2019. One journalist was killed and another went missing after covering protests on December 6. (AP/Hadi Mizban)

One journalist killed, another missing amid protests in Iraq

Beirut, December 9, 2019 — Iraqi authorities should conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into the abduction of journalist Zaid Mohammed al-Khafaji, secure his release, and hold the perpetrators to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Iraqi security forces are seen in Baghdad on November 23, 2019. Security forces recently raided and shuttered broadcaster Dijlah TV. (Reuters/Thaier al-Sudani)

Iraqi security forces shutter Baghdad office of Dijlah TV broadcaster

Beirut, November 27, 2019 — Iraqi authorities should allow Amman-based broadcaster Dijlah TV to reopen, and should cease forcing news outlets off the air for their coverage, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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People watch television in Najaf, Iraq, on October 31, 2019. Iraq's media regulator recently ordered the closure of 12 broadcast outlets throughout the country. (AFP/Haidar Hamdani)

Iraq media regulator orders closure of 12 broadcast news outlets

Beirut, November 25, 2019 — Iraq’s media regulator should reverse its decision to order the closure of 12 broadcasters over a licensing dispute and should allow media outlets to freely cover protests in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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A demonstrator distributes a newspaper in Baghdad, Iraq, on November 17, 2019. A journalist was recently abducted and a broadcaster's office attacked amid the demonstrations. (Reuters/Thaier al-Sudani)

Journalist temporarily abducted, TV office attacked amid protests in Iraq

Beirut, November 20, 2019 — Iraqi authorities should conduct swift and transparent investigations into the temporary abduction of journalist Mohammad Qahtan al-Shamari and the attack on the Al-Arabi TV offices in Baghdad, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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The city of Zakho in Iraq, in October 2017. Kurdish security forces detained a journalist for nearly two weeks in Zakho and Duhok, after he returned from a reporting trip to Syria. (Reuters/Ari Jalal)

Assyrian journalist detained in Iraq for 13 days after reporting trip to Syria

Kurdish Asayish security forces detained William Bnyameen Adam, an Assyrian journalist, for 13 days after the contributor to the California-based broadcaster Assyrian National Broadcasting (ANB) returned from a two-week assignment in northern Syria, the journalist told CPJ. The journalist said that security forces confiscated his equipment, beat him, and questioned him about his reporting.

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Demonstrators are seen in Baghdad, Iraq, on October 25, 2019. Journalists have been attacked and detained amid the protests. (Reuters/Thaier Al-Sudani)

Journalists injured and detained, broadcasters banned as protests resume in Iraq

Beirut, October 29, 2019 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned recent attacks on journalists and media outlets in Iraq, and urged authorities to ensure that journalists can cover the ongoing protests in the country safely and without obstruction.

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Getting Away with Murder

CPJ’s 2019 Global Impunity Index spotlights countries where journalists are slain and their killers go free Published October 29, 2019 Somalia is the world’s worst country for the fifth year in a row when it comes to prosecuting murderers of journalists, CPJ’s 2019 Global Impunity Index found. War and political instability have fostered a deadly…

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