The Rights Center for Freedom of Expression Support has recorded a number of violations against journalists since the beginning of this year, the Journalists work in a complex and harsh environment and are subjected daily to harassment by security forces or employees of government institutions, The Rights Center has recorded 45 violations report and twice as many hidden violations as its announcement will expose the lives of journalists who are in danger, as well as lawsuits against media and journalists.
On World Press Freedom Day, the House of Representatives is working to legislate laws that would restrict journalists from practicing their work, and the imposition of penalties in the provisions of the draft law, does not comply with the principles of the Constitution nor international standards that guarantee freedom of expression and freedom of the media.
The capital of Iraq, Baghdad, alone witnessed numerous abuses against journalists by security forces, in addition to the repeated siege of television stations by members of clans belonging to its politicians because of the treatment of those stations topics belonging to politicians belonging to the clan.
The journalists in Kurdistan region and Kirkuk province were subjected to repression by the official authorities until it reached that the reporters of satellite channels cannot prepare any report on the political and economic situation or work on issues of government performance or corruption, as well as the practices carried out by Asayish forces against journalists in Kurdistan region and Kirkuk police forces who arrested a television team in Al Quds Street in the center of the province, and seized the equipment of photography.
In Basra, south of the Iraq, the journalists are being subjected to arrests and violence by police, especially those covering the demonstrations that blow up since last summer, the lawsuits from political parties and officials have accompanied a number of them to face the judiciary in addition to the practice of deliberately restricting these journalists to be restricted from the practice of their work, or journalists who collect information about oil companies and the file of radiation.
Salah ad Din and Anbar are no different from their counterparts in the provinces. Local governments attack every journalist who criticizes their performance badly and takes action against him that puts his life at risk, Journalists who plan to produce reports or television material for the division of positions or political deals that take place behind the scenes for the distribution of posts or the replacement of officials who are subject to latent threats while collecting information to push them away from these topics.
In Karbala and Najaf, journalists fear to look into issues that are believed to be "sensitive", especially the reports, the influx of officials, the delay of projects and manipulation of influential figures in the governorate's real estate, these influential people are threatening journalists with phone calls or dragging them to justice as defendants for financial and psychological abuse, But there is courage and perseverance to perform his journalistic mission to challenge those who seek to silence the truth.
In Babylon province, there are occasional attacks on journalists by beating or insulting, but there are lines where journalists must stand. All journalists seem to agree not to go beyond these lines for their safety and stability in their jobs, while in Diwaniyah, which is not a good environment for journalists who shed light on the deterioration of the service reality and the delay of projects and lack of reconstruction, the local government is urging the killing of journalists who make television reports through large-scale accusations amounting to terrorism through social networking sites to stop them from making such reports and to intimidate others to obscure the results of government performance.
For Diyala and Nainwah, journalists agree not to speak openly about what is going on in their cities, Especially Nainwah, which went through a dark period for journalists who highlighted the projects of the province, the governor Nofal Al-Aakoub took an approach in sending his security forces to attack the journalist who deals with any subject that was not on his side, To make a stable prison for this journalist without any judicial note, the latest run over four journalists by the governor personally While covering the protests against the background of the ferry incident.
In the provinces of Dhi Qar, Muthanna, Maysan and Wasit, journalists warn when starting to prepare any television material, Tribal pressure is stronger than the pressure of government institutions, Journalists have therefore avoided addressing issues that concern officials belonging to clans that have an earlier tribal reaction, as well as the use of intimidation and seduction by staff employed as tools for local and influential governments to make journalists convey the white side of the government.
The Rights Center for Freedom of Expression Support publishes the events it has recorded since the beginning of 2019 until 3 May, while reserving reservations for other cases, while reserving the other cases which cannot be published details at the will of the violators as shown below:
4/ January/ 2019
Al-Hurra TV cameraman Samer Ali was killed in Baghdad.
15/ January/ 2019
Four university students were dismissed from Belad Al- Rafidain college in Diyala because of their views on social media sites.
16/ January/ 2019
The director of the NRT satellite channel, in Erbil Ribwar Kaki "was arrested by the provincial police on the basis of a complaint from the Political Bureau of the Kurdistan Democratic Party.
22/ January/ 2019
Six demonstrators were arrested in Basra by an oil police detachment because they asked for permission to hold a demonstration.
27/ January/ 2019
Al-Ahed and Al-Furat satellite channel were prevented from covering the activities of the Iraqi Football Federation on the background of revealing files that caused the exit of the national team from the Asian Nations Cup.
29/ January/ 2019
The arrest of the NRT channel director in Dahuk, Biwar Helmi and the closure of the office by the Kurdistan Regional Government because of coverage of the channel events of the Turkish base north of the province.
31/ January/ 2019
An attack on the live broadcast team of a program bain Al- Nass, broadcast by Belady satellite channel by security forces belonging to the Baghdad Operations Command.
2/ February/ 2019
The killing of novelist and academic Alaa Mashzoub in Karbala by unknown people.
5/ February/ 2019
The arrest of Al- Furat satellite channel crew’s, composed of reporter Anas Yousef and the photographer Ahmed Mohamed, by the order from the direction of medical city in Baghdad, after being prevented from filming near the city.
6/ February/ 2019
Al-Jazeera satellite channel correspondent Mahmoud al-Jammas was injured when he was accompanying Iraqi forces in a military operation against ISIS in Hawija Knaos, south of Mosul.
19/ February/ 2019
Postponement the trial of the correspondent of INEWS in Karbala Haider Hadi due to a complaint recorded by former MP Habib al- Tarfy.
19/ February/ 2019
The termination of Orr satellite channel services that composed from the reporter Laith Guamir and photographer Omar Dawood arbitrarily and without warning letter.
21/ February/ 2019
The Minister of Health Alaa Alwan is issuing sanctions against health professionals who protested to claim their rights under the pretext that their strike affects the performance of health institutions.
23/ February/ 2019
Belady satellite channel team Ali Nassef and broadcast engineer Haidar Nidal, as well as photographer Uday Hamed, were prevented from covering the demonstration of the Syndicate of Agricultural Engineers in Tahrir Square in central Baghdad, despite having received official approvals, after the assistant commander of Baghdad operations to the channel team to arrest in the event of coverage.
25/ February/ 2019
The attack on the team of Dejlah satellite channel in Najaf, composed of reporter Ahmad al-Ghazali and the photographer, Waleed Marza severely beaten by the sports oil-center team of which caused the destruction of the press equipment and bruises in his body was transferred to the hospital.
28/ February/ 2019
The closure of the case against the editor of Al- Warka News Agency after the resignation of the complainant, who works as an officer in the traffic police Muthanna, against the background of the statement issued by the Rights Center.
5/ March/2019
Attack on Samarra satellite channel staee in Babylon and destroy their press equipment by the province police.
10/ March/2019
The detention of the correspondent who work in Al-Najba satellite channel in Salah al-Din, Muhammad al-Obeidi, after being severely beaten by the security forces of the Imam Al- askary in Samarra.
12/ March/2019
The judiciary acquits correspondent NRT Arabic satellite channel in Karbala Haider Hadi of the charge addressed to him by former MP Habib Al- Tarfy.
15/ March/2019
The attack on a number of satellite channel correspondents in Nainwa province, severely beaten by the security forces of the Undersecretary of the Minister of Oil.
19/ March/2019
The attack on Al- Furat satellite channel crew by employees in the internal sections of the Waziriya district in Baghdad and destroyed their equipment.
20/ March/2019
Demonstrators released in Maysan after the Magistrate's Court withdrew the lawsuit against them.
22/ March/2019
Nainwa province journalists ran over Laith al-Rashedi and the Mosuliya satellite channel team consisting of Karam al-Taei and Ali al-Naimi as well as Mohammed Namik by the Nainwa governor's convoy Nawfal al-Aakoub during their coverage of the demonstrations that took place in front of the island of Umm al-Rubein tourist on the back of the ferry incident.
28/ March/2019
The judiciary acquits correspondent NRT Arabiya satellite channel in Karbala Haider Hadi of the charge addressed to him by the head of the provincial council Nassif al-Khattabi.
3/ April /2019
Al-Anbar TV cameraman Mohammed Ahmad Badawi was attacked by a police officer near Al-Rummanah Bridge in Qaim district.
7/ April /2019
The NRT Arabiya satellite channel team was prevented from filming after being attacked by security forces in Kadhimiya area north of Baghdad.
13/ April /2019
Arrest the correspondent of Al-Itejah satellite channel in Kirkuk for several hours and confiscation of its press equipment.
29/ April /2019
Attack on the correspondent of al- Tagheer satellite channel in Karbala, Walid al-Salhi by a doctor working in Al-Hussein hospital in the province.
30/ April /2019
The Asian satellite channel was besieged by members of the former MP's clan Ali al- A’laq because of the channel's criticism of the character in one of its programs.