Through one year…IWJF reports 12 cases including murder, beating, defamation and institutional breach regarding female journalists.

Baghdad: IWJF

In the period from May 3, 2017, to May 3, 2018, IWJF recorded 12 cases including murder, beating, defamation and institutional breach regarding female journalists, in addition to some unannounced cases in respect of the wishes of the journalists who wish to obtain legal assistance. The following are the most notable cases recorded and announced

10/5/2017

The media department in the Iraqi Parliament, prevents the reporter of the Al Iraqiya channel Heba Al-Suodany, from entering the parliament building at the request of the member of the Iraqi Parliament Faiq Al-Sheikh Ali, without receiving an official letter from the presidency of the Parliament.

18/5/2017

IWJF objected to the Prime Minister’s violation of the law of the Iraqi media network and his decision to grant the seat of a member of the Board of Trustees of the Iraqi Media Network for a man and not achieving the quota law for women included in the law of the network in addition to violating the terms of appointing members of the Board of Trustees.

19/5/2017

A female reporter who asked to stay anonymous stated that she was subjected to blackmail and harassment and not granting her financial dues in the media organization where she works because she did not respond to sexual harassment from the head of the organization, who fired her without informing her of the decision.

4/6/2017

The journalist An Salah was exposed to defamation by publishing photographs and claiming that she was in a relationship with a director in one of the state’s departments

9/9/2017

An armed attack by unidentified gunmen on the house of the journalist Heba Hussein, east of Baghdad.

13/9/2017

A threat by ISIS in Kirkuk to assassin male and female journalists.

5/10/2017

Chief editor of a newspaper confirms the exposure of women journalists working with him to blackmail and harassment, especially by media managers of media organizations who used their position to achieve financial gain by requesting financial ratios for advertisements and sending young women journalists.

16/11/2017

The martyrdom of the female military reporter Rana Al-Ajely after an explosion of an explosive device while covering the events of Al-Qaim liberation.

7/1/2018

An attack by unknown assailants on a radio program presenter Bushra ِAl-Saadi, resulting in injuries and bruises.

10/1/2018

Breaking into the house of journalist Iman Rasool by unknown assailants in Najaf and her mobile phone was stolen.

21/1/2018

Female journalist Jehan Al-Taay was exposed to a campaign of defamation and abuse through social media sites.

27/1/2018

The committee organizing the celebration of (Baghdad the capital of the Arab media) and under the supervision of the Iraqi Prime Minister and the League of Arab States, honors most of the male war correspondents and excludes the honoring of the female ones, despite the significant role played by the Iraqi female war correspondent during the liberation from ISIS terrorism.

In addition to what was stated above, last year recorded harassments, threats and prevention of a number of institutions and journalists from doing their work properly , also closing down institutions working in the field of media such as nrt channel, and killing, wounding, threatening, kidnapping 47 journalists, between photographer and reporter and writer, and this is evidence that the profession of journalism and the freedom of expression in Iraq remains the most dangerous security and media environment.

IWJF using this occasion (World Press Freedom Day) to call on the Iraqi government to provide a safe environment for journalists, especially women journalists, to limit violations against them on the basis of gender. It also calls for accelerating the adoption of laws guaranteeing freedom of the press that limits violations and prosecutes perpetrators of crimes and slander campaigns, also IWJF demands establishing solid media system that protects the rights of workers in this profession, especially with regard to campaigns of defamation and abuse against male and female colleagues in the field through the social media sites, as the existing legislation and provisions in the laws does not live up to the growth in the telecommunications sector in terms of progress and development, which make us demand from the authorities concerned to bring a qualitative shift in the legal texts dealing with this situation and with the cooperation of all the concerned authorities because of the negative use of this revolution in information technology .

Iraqi Women Journalists Forum, May 2018