Iraq / Middle East & North Africa

  

Iraqi journalists accused of stealing notebook released

Three Iraqi journalists were released on bail June 20, 2013, after being held for two weeks by the Ministry of Defense for purportedly stealing an official’s notebook.

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The headquarters of the Ministry Defense in Baghdad, where two journalists were arrested on June 4. (AP/Hadi Mizban)

Iraqi government detains two journalists without charge

New York, June 18, 2013–The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned about the detention of two Iraqi journalists who have been held for two weeks without formal charge or access to a lawyer in connection with the alleged theft of a senior official’s notebook.

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Remembering Iraq, a forgotten war

As growing sectarian violence across Iraq renews fears of civil war, journalists gathered in New York this week to talk about their experiences reporting in the country over the past decade.

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Iraqi sheikh says he is not behind threats to journalist

New York, May 23, 2013–A prominent Iraqi sheikh told CPJ Wednesday he has had nothing to do with threats against a journalist or the recent abduction of the reporter’s brother.

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Iraqi journalist threatened for reporting on corruption

New York, May 21, 2013–Iraqi authorities must launch an investigation into a May 14 episode in which a group of armed men raided the home of a journalist and briefly abducted his brother. The journalist, Azhar Shallal, had recently written about alleged corruption.

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Getting Away With Murder

CPJ’s 2013 Impunity Index spotlights countries where journalists are slain and the killers go free

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Sunni Muslims chant during an anti-government protest in Samarra. (Reuters/Bakr al-Azzawi)

Iraqi government bans 10 satellite channels

New York, April 29, 2013–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the Iraqi government’s decision on Sunday to suspend the licenses of 10 mostly pro-Sunni satellite channels accused of sectarian incitement.

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An Afghan journalist films in Kabul as a military helicopter flies above. (Reuters/Ahmad Masood)

Getting ready for contingencies in Afghanistan

Considering the worst-case scenarios for post-2014 Afghanistan, international news agencies should start planning a range of assistance responses for locally hired journalists and media staff. By the end of 2014, NATO troops will have largely withdrawn and the Karzai government will make way for a new administration. If the situation becomes chaotic, Afghans working for…

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Four Iraqi newspapers attacked by unknown assailants

The Baghdad offices of at least four independent daily newspapers were attacked on April 1, 2013, with the assailants destroying equipment and injuring several employees.

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An Iraqi journalist walks past a wall of photos of journalists killed during the Iraq War. (AP/Samir Mizban)

Iraq war and news media: A look inside the death toll

The U.S.-led war in Iraq claimed the lives of a record number of journalists and challenged some commonly held perceptions about the risks of covering conflict. Far more journalists, for example, were murdered in targeted killings in Iraq than died in combat-related circumstances. Here, on the 10th anniversary of the start of the war, is…

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