Adobe stock plummets secondworst in decade11/30/2023 ![]() On November 26, government security forces stormed the Baghdad headquarters of Tigris TV and cut the station’s broadcast. Over the last few weeks, dozens of media freedom violations have been reported by local media freedom groups. Authorities must respect press freedom and stop attacking independent media.” ![]() “We are seeing a brutal climate of repression and censorship against journalists reporting on demonstrations. ![]() “Authorities in Iraq are using every tool in the box to control media reporting and access to information on the current protests”, IPI Director of Advocacy Ravi R. Authorities have also begun to police posts on social media websites and jail critics, further worsening the climate for freedom of expression. Meanwhile, internet access has been blocked in parts of the country for weeks, making it difficult for journalists to gather and disseminate news. On November 12, the Iraqi Communications and Media Commission (CMC) ordered the closure of 12 different local and international Arabic radio and TV stations, which were accused of violating licence regulations and “publishing content inciting violence” during coverage of demonstrations. “We are witnessing unprecedented levels of attacks against media in Iraq”, Mustafa Nasser, president of the Press Freedom Advocacy Association in Iraq (PFAA), told IPI. There have been widespread reports of journalists being attacked, kidnapped, tear gassed, threatened and obstructed from carrying out their work, while media outlets have been raided and forced off air by government and unidentified militia groups, leading to what local press freedom groups have called the worst climate for media since the Iraq war in 2003. The International Press Institute (IPI), a global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists for press freedom, today condemned the brutal climate of repression and censorship against media outlets in Iraq and called on authorities to immediately reverse blanket internet blackouts and forced closures of TV and radio stations.Īs deadly anti-government protests entered their seventh week and pressure continues to grow on Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi to make reforms, authorities have used a raft of authoritarian methods to block the airwaves and silence media in an effort to suppress the protests and stop the world from seeing the full extent of the crackdown.
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