Qasim Mozan, a journalist at Al-Sabah newspaper, shares Kanani's opinion. “The Iraqi Constitution explicitly guarantees freedom of the press and there are no prisoners of conscience. Some newspapers have shut down because of lack of funding, given the financial crisis. This is not to mention that the ISJ proposed a law on the protection of journalists [later ratified by parliament] and those who have been harmed could resort to it,” he said.
Conversely, writer Makki al-Rabih told Al-Monitor, “Iraqi political parties dominate the media and put it at the service of their interests. Independent journalists are persecuted.”
Similarly to Rabih, political analyst Jassim al-Moussawi said, “Iraqi politicians do not respect different opinions and are still following the authoritarian approach of the pre-2003 political regime in terms of restrictions on media freedoms.”
University professor and writer Mohsin Ali Atiyeh drew a distinction between the idealism of the constitution and reality. “While the Iraqi Constitution stresses the right of expression, reality shows that this freedom is restricted. Some activists on Facebook are being tried and prosecuted,” he told Al-Monitor.
(Journalism image via Shutterstock)
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