IWJF report on the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day:More than 100 cases of killings and threats against journalists were recorded,and 32 women journalists were subjected to blackmail and defamation

On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, the Iraqi Women’s Journalists Forum (IWJF) issued its annual report on the reality of media freedom and the safety of women and men journalists in Iraq for the period from May 4, 2019 to May 2, 2020.

the report recorded an escalation of violence against the fourth authority in Iraq and witnessed files of repression, threats, kidnappings, killings, blackmail and defamation of women and men journalists working in various cities of Iraq, which were an obstacle to practicing their profession in a manner that is appropriate to their work and mission that they do.

The report prepared by the IWJF recorded during a year… attacks on international and local journalists, and this is a dangerous indication in a country that is supposed to have transformed from a dictatorial regime to a democracy until it reached more than 100 cases of killing, threatening, kidnapping, beating and arrest, including 11 cases of killing journalists and 32 cases of threats, defamation, and blackmail of Iraqi women journalists working in media institutions with different specialties, some of them mentioned their names and others refused for security and personal reasons.

And the file targeting journalists did not witness any governmental and security measures to reduce direct and indirect violence, which increased the systematic targeting of journalists and impunity for the perpetrators.

According to this statistic, the report of the IWJF this year was divided into three axes, First: the safety and protection of workers in the media sector, Second: Freedom of the press and the independence of media organizations and Third: Taking into account gender and gender equality in the media field.

To view the report, click on the link below:

IWJF 2019-2020 REPORT