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New York, August 31, 2022 – Iraqi authorities ought to cease assaulting and detaining journalists and take all essential measures to make sure their security whereas reporting on mass political protests, the Committee to Defend Journalists mentioned Wednesday.
On Monday, August 29, Iraqi safety forces arrested, assaulted, or confiscated gear from journalists with native and worldwide retailers masking protests in Baghdad, the capital, in keeping with the journalists and their colleagues, who spoke with CPJ, and stories by their retailers.
Individually, on Tuesday, a mortar shell injured at the very least two journalists masking armed clashes within the metropolis.
“Iraqi forces have displayed a startling disregard for the protection of civilians and journalists masking protests in Baghdad since August 29,” mentioned CPJ Senior Center East and North Africa Researcher Justin Shilad. “Iraqi authorities should cease assaulting and detaining journalists, enable them to work freely, and be sure that members of the nation’s safety forces who assault members of the press are recognized and held to account.”
Protests broke out in Baghdad’s Inexperienced Zone, dwelling to authorities establishments and overseas embassies, by supporters of Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on August 29 after he introduced his resolution to retire from politics, in keeping with information stories. Authorities later declared a curfew in Baghdad.
Throughout these protests, Iraqi Particular Forces arrested reporter Rokan Jaf and digital camera operator Gailan Sabah whereas they coated safety forces’ dispersal of the demonstrations for the privately owned Kurdish media outlet Zoom Information, in keeping with a Fb publish by the outlet and Jaf, who spoke with CPJ by way of messaging app.
“As soon as they knew I (was) a journalist, they caught me instantly,” Jaf advised CPJ, including that he recognized the members of the particular forces by their black uniforms. 4 Particular Forces brokers punched and kicked Jaf, took his telephone and Sabah’s digital camera, and detained them each, he mentioned.
After protestors had been cleared from the realm, authorities launched Sabah and Jaf and returned Jaf’s telephone however not Sabah’s digital camera, in keeping with Jaf and Zoom Information director Hemn Mahmood, who spoke to CPJ by telephone. Jaf advised CPJ he was not severely injured within the incident.
Additionally throughout these protests on August 29, safety forces in black uniforms assaulted Haider al-Badri, a reporter for the privately owned information channel UTV, and tried to grab a digital camera from his digital camera operator Adulmalik Faisal, in keeping with the Iraqi press freedom advocacy group Journalistic Freedoms Observatory (JFO) and a video posted to UTV’s Fb web page.
CPJ was unable to right away decide whether or not al-Badri was injured through the incident.
Authorities additionally briefly detained a crew with the Qatari broadcaster Al-Jazeera, together with reporter Samir Yousif and 7 others, in keeping with a video Yousif posted on Twitter, a report by the outlet, and a journalist aware of the case, who spoke to CPJ by messaging app on the situation they not be named as a result of they didn’t have permission to talk to the press. Authorities allow them to go after smashing the window of their automobile, taking their digital camera, and breaking it in entrance of them.
Safety forces sporting black masks and unmarked uniforms additionally assaulted Ammar Ghassan, a reporter for the privately owned satellite tv for pc channel Al-Rasheed TV, and his colleagues whereas they coated authorities’ dispersal of the protests, in keeping with a video on the broadcaster’s Fb web page and a report by information web site Baghdad As we speak.
In that video, Ghassan confirmed a bruise on his shoulder that he mentioned was the results of the assault.
“Seven armed safety forces got here to us. They knew we had been a TV channel crew and beat us,” he mentioned. “In addition they took our mic, digital camera, and dwell stream machine and destroyed my cell phone.” CPJ was unable to right away decide what number of Al-Rasheed TV journalists had been injured within the incident.
CPJ can also be investigating posts on social media by Related Press photographer Hadi Mizban, who mentioned Iraqi safety forces attacked him and took his digital camera and ID, and by the privately owned Iraqi information outlet Fallujah TV, which wrote that its correspondent Saif Ali was “severely injured” whereas masking the protests.
CPJ messaged Mizban and Fallujah TV on Fb to hunt extra particulars on these incidents however didn’t instantly obtain any replies.
Yehia Rasool, a spokesperson for the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi armed forces, who oversees the particular forces, advised CPJ by way of messaging app that the armed forces had been investigating stories of particular forces attacking journalists within the Inexperienced Zone, and mentioned they’d not enable such assaults to be repeated.
Individually, on Tuesday, Mustafa Latif and Kamil Raad, reporters for the privately owned Iraqi satellite tv for pc channel Dijla TV, had been injured by mortar fireplace whereas reporting on armed demonstrators clashing with safety forces within the aftermath of the protests, in keeping with a Fb publish from their outlet, a JFO report, and Latif, who spoke to CPJ by way of messaging app.
Latif advised CPJ that he was injured by shrapnel in his face, Raad was hit by shrapnel in his leg, they usually had been each taken to the Al-Kadhimiya Hospital for remedy. Latif mentioned he didn’t know the supply of the mortar fireplace.
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