BAGHDAD: Iraq has suspended the license of a US-government funded broadcaster after it ran an investigation alleging corruption within the country’s religious institutions.
The country’s media regulator on Monday shut down the local offices of Al Hurra television — a broadcaster funded by the US Agency for Global Media — for three months, accusing the network of bias and defamation in their report.
“The program failed to uphold the principles of media professionalism,” a statement from the Communications and Media Commission (CMC) said, accusing the reporters of using anonymous sources to defame and to cause moral injury.
The investigative report, which aired last week, alleged corruption within the Sunni and Shiite Muslim endowments — state bodies that administer religious sites and real estate — including foundations linked to Iraq’s top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani.
The Sunni endowment denied the allegations in the report and said they would take legal steps against the channel. The Shiite endowment could not immediately be reached for comment.
In addition to the three-month suspension, Al Hurra must stop all activities until “they correct their position” and must issue a formal apology, the CMC decision said.
Al Hurra said it would issue a statement shortly.
Iraq is currently ranked near the bottom of Reporters Without Borders’ (RSF) media freedom index. It owes its current ranking of 156 out of 180 countries to routine attacks, arbitrary detentions and intimidation of journalists by militias and pro-government groups, according to RSF.
“Iraq still has no law on access to state-held information,” RSF says on its website. “Investigative reporting on corruption or embezzlement exposes journalists to serious threats.”
Neither the US Department of State nor the US Embassy in Baghdad oversees the content of Al Hurra’s programming, Embassy Spokesperson Pedro Martin said.
“Alhurra’s mission is to deliver accurate and objective information on the region, American policies and Americana,” he said. “The Government of Iraq has the right to question Al Hurra on any reporting that is perceived to be false or unprofessional and has the right to respond with their position.”
Iraq suspends US-funded broadcaster Al Hurra over graft investigation
Iraq suspends US-funded broadcaster Al Hurra over graft investigation
- The country’s media regulator shut down the local offices of Al Hurra television
- It accused the network of bias and defamation
Foreign media group slams Israel for refusing to lift Gaza press ban
- Foreign Press Association expresses 'profound disappointment' with Israeli government’s response to a Supreme Court appeal
- Israel has barred foreign journalists from independently entering the devastated territory since the war started
JERUSALEM: An international media association on Tuesday criticized the Israeli government for maintaining its ban on unrestricted media access to Gaza, calling the move disappointing.
The government had told the Supreme Court in a submission late Sunday that the ban should remain in place, citing security risks in the Gaza Strip.
The submission was in response to a petition filed by the Foreign Press Association (FPA) — which represents hundreds of journalists in Israel and Palestinian territories — seeking immediate and unrestricted access for foreign journalists to the Gaza Strip.
“The Foreign Press Association expresses its profound disappointment with the Israeli government’s latest response to our appeal for full and free access to the Gaza Strip,” the association said on Tuesday.
“Instead of presenting a plan for allowing journalists into Gaza independently and letting us work alongside our brave Palestinian colleagues, the government has decided once again to lock us out” despite the ceasefire in the territory, it added.
Since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, triggered by an attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, the government has barred foreign journalists from independently entering the devastated territory.
Instead, Israel has allowed only a limited number of reporters to enter Gaza on a case-by-case basis, embedded with its military inside the blockaded Palestinian territory.
The FPA filed its petition in 2024, after which the court granted the government several extensions to submit its response.
Last month, however, the court set January 4 as a final deadline for the government to present a plan for allowing media access to Gaza.
In its submission, the government maintained that the ban should remain in place.
“This is for security reasons, based on the position of the defense establishment, which maintains that a security risk associated with such entry still exists,” the government submission said.
The government also said that the search for the remains of the last hostage held in Gaza was ongoing, suggesting that allowing journalists in at this stage could hinder the operation.
The remains of Ran Gvili, whose body was taken to Gaza after he was killed during Hamas’s 2023 attack, have still not been recovered despite the ceasefire.
The FPA said it planned to submit a “robust response” to the court, and expressed hope the “judges will put an end to this charade.”
“The FPA is confident that the court will provide justice in light of the continuous infringement of the fundamental principles of freedom of speech, the public’s right to know and free press,” the association added.
The Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling on the matter, though it is unclear when a decision will be handed down.
An AFP journalist sits on the board of the FPA.
