July 1, 2025
A security force affiliated with the Ministry of Interior and National Security, accompanied by a team from the Media and Communications Commission, raided the headquarters of Al-Iraq Al-Hadath TV channel, halted its broadcast, and closed the office after evacuating it of its staff.
The Association has learned that a judge from the Karkh Investigation Court No. 3 issued a judicial ruling to shut down the channel and suspend its broadcast, for reasons that remain unknown at the time of writing this statement.
Several colleagues working at the channel reported that the force raided the office located in the Al-Qadisiyah area and demanded its immediate evacuation based on a judicial order issued by the Karkh Investigation Court No. 3. They explained that the channel’s management asked the security force to clarify the reasons behind the closure, but the force did not have that information and merely carried out the court order.
The Association for the Defense of Press Freedom in Iraq, while expressing its astonishment at the issuance of such a judicial decision, considers it a clear constitutional violation. Notably, this is the first such judicial decision of its kind since 2003. The usual procedure, until now, has been for the Media and Communications Commission to send a warning or notice, with the Board of Trustees explaining the reasons and voting on a temporary closure or suspension of a specific program, not an entire channel.
The Association affirms that this incident marks a new regression in constitutionally guaranteed media and press freedoms, and sets a dangerous precedent indicating the country’s slide toward the path of oppressive dictatorial regimes, which resort to closing media outlets through judicial rulings without providing legal justification.
