A spree of attacks and threats against media outlets in Iraq has alarmed the UN, journalists and monitors, who demand the government prevent the “silencing” of journalists covering mass protests.
Raids over the weekend carried out by unidentified gunmen have added to concerns for freedom of expression that were first flagged when authorities implemented a near-total Internet blackout after anti-government protests erupted last week in the capital and the country’s south.
On Saturday evening, the Baghdad bureaus of Kurdistan-based NRT TV, Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya and local Al-Dijla news channels were raided by masked men, the stations said.
NRT TV said the gunmen damaged equipment, which temporarily put the channel off the air, seized employees’ phones and attacked local police.
Security camera footage aired by Al-Arabiya showed about a dozen men in tactical gear and helmets entering the bureau, ripping screens off walls and rummaging through drawers.
Al-Arabiya said it had received “assurances” from Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi’s office that the incident would be investigated.
Iraqi President Barham Saleh condemned the attacks as “unacceptable.”
Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq, said she was “shocked at the vandalism [and] intimidation.”
“Government efforts [are] required to protect journalists. Free media is the best safeguard of a strong democracy,” she said.
A security source told reporters that another local channel, Al-Nahrein, had also been raided and its equipment damaged, and that Hona Baghdad and Al-Rasheed had received threats.
“We received direct threats over our coverage of the protests,” said a journalist at Al-Rasheed, which has closely covered protests and accused security forces of indiscriminate violence.
“They told us: ‘Either you change your editorial line or you’ll have the same fate as NRT and the rest.’ So we preferred to cut our distribution,” the reporter said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Throughout the week, bloggers and activists across the south also reported receiving text messages and phone calls threatening them and their families over their coverage.
“Coverage of demonstrations is very difficult and different from the usual coverage of events, because the crackdown on protesters automatically affects the journalists,” Dijlah TV’s Mazen Alwan told Iraq’s National Union of Journalists.
Various media outlets also took confidential measures to ensure the safety of their teams.
Iraq is ranked 156th out of 180 countries on this year’s World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
The media watchdog accused security forces of “disproportionate and unwarranted restriction of the right to inform.”
“Instead of banning all journalistic activities, the security forces and local authorities have a duty to guarantee the safety of journalists so that they can do their reporting,” said Sabrina Bennoui, RSF’s Middle East desk head.
Iraq’s judiciary on Monday discussed legal action against those who attacked media stations, as well as protesters.
Journalistic Freedoms Observatory head Ziad al-Ajili said it was the first time he had witnessed such an attempt to “terrorise” media outlets.
“This is an organised, pre-planned operation to silence media. This is the fundamental way to oppress protesters,” he said. “We expect more attacks.”
CONFRONTATION: The water cannon attack was the second this month on the Philippine supply boat ‘Unaizah May 4,’ after an incident on March 5 The China Coast Guard yesterday morning blocked a Philippine supply vessel and damaged it with water cannons near a reef off the Southeast Asian country, the Philippines said. The Philippine military released video of what it said was a nearly hour-long attack off the Second Thomas Shoal (Renai Shoal, 仁愛暗沙) in the contested South China Sea, where Chinese ships have unleashed water cannons and collided with Philippine vessels in similar standoffs in the past few months. The China Coast Guard and other vessels “once again harassed, blocked, deployed water cannons, and executed dangerous maneuvers” against a routine rotation and resupply mission to
GLOBAL COMBAT AIR PROGRAM: The potential purchasers would be limited to the 15 nations with which Tokyo has signed defense partnership and equipment transfer deals Japan’s Cabinet yesterday approved a plan to sell future next-generation fighter jets that it is developing with the UK and Italy to other nations, in the latest move away from the country’s post-World War II pacifist principles. The contentious decision to allow international arms sales is expected to help secure Japan’s role in the joint fighter jet project, and is part of a move to build up the Japanese arms industry and bolster its role in global security. The Cabinet also endorsed a revision to Japan’s arms equipment and technology transfer guidelines to allow coproduced lethal weapons to be sold to nations
‘POLITICAL EARTHQUAKE’: Leo Varadkar said he was ‘no longer the best person’ to lead the nation and was stepping down for political, as well as personal, reasons Leo Varadkar on Wednesday announced that he was stepping down as Ireland’s prime minister and leader of the Fine Gael party in the governing coalition, citing “personal and political” reasons. Pundits called the surprise move, just 10 weeks before Ireland holds European Parliament and local elections, a “political earthquake.” A general election has to be held within a year. Irish Deputy Prime Minister Micheal Martin, leader of Fianna Fail, the main coalition partner, said Varadkar’s announcement was “unexpected,” but added that he expected the government to run its full term. An emotional Varadkar, who is in his second stint as prime minister and at
Thousands of devotees, some in a state of trance, gathered at a Buddhist temple on the outskirts of Bangkok renowned for sacred tattoos known as Sak Yant, paying their respects to a revered monk who mastered the practice and seeking purification. The gathering at Wat Bang Phra Buddhist temple is part of a Thai Wai Khru ritual in which devotees pay homage to Luang Phor Pern, the temple’s formal abbot, who died in 2002. He had a reputation for refining and popularizing the temple’s Sak Yant tattoo style. The idea that tattoos confer magical powers has existed in many parts of Asia