LONDON: The Committee to Protect Journalists, an independent nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom worldwide, called on Tuesday for the freedom and security of journalists in Iraq.
The watchdog called on “Iraqi authorities to allow journalists to do their jobs freely and safely,” following recent events in the country’s capital Baghdad.
The New York-based organization also announced that it “is investigating multiple reports of Iraqi security forces assaulting and detaining journalists covering protests in Baghdad’s Green Zone.”
The Green Zone houses several government buildings and diplomatic missions in the city.
Violent protests have broken out in Baghdad after Shiite leader Muqtada Al-Sadr announced his exit from Iraqi politics, leading to clashes between militias in the Green Zone.
According to Agence France-Presse, at least 30 people were killed and hundreds were injured when violence erupted between rival Shiite forces and the army on Monday.
The CPJ fears that Iraqi authorities have unlawfully assaulted and detained journalists who were reporting on the events taking place in the Green Zone.
After months of political tensions over failed attempts to create a government, Al-Sadr’s supporters demanded the dissolution of Parliament and the holding of new elections without the participation of Iran-backed Shiite factions, whom they blame for the status quo.
International authorities have called on all parties to resort to peaceful solutions to resolve the situation.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for “restraint” in Iraq and asked all factions to “take immediate steps to de-escalate the situation.”
Al-Sadr had called on his supporters to withdraw from the Green Zone immediately. Although the situation seems to be back under control, tensions across the country remain.
