10/5/2026
An investigative judge at the Rusafa Court issued an order to detain the director of ABC News Agency, Salem Al-Sheikh Zaji, over reports concerning the performance of a Chinese automobile company operating in Baghdad.
Employees of the agency informed the Iraqi Press Freedom Advocacy Association that the Chinese car company “Jetour” had filed a lawsuit against Salem Al-Sheikh Zaji following journalistic reports that conveyed customers’ complaints and poor services at the company’s maintenance centers.
Colleagues confirmed that Zaji complied with the judicial order; however, the investigative judge ordered his detention at Bab Al-Sheikh Police Station on the Rusafa side of Baghdad pending investigation, while efforts are being made to secure his release on bail.
While expressing its surprise at the detention of the journalist, the Iraqi Press Freedom Advocacy Association called on the judicial authorities to respect the principle of media freedom and journalistic work guaranteed by the Iraqi Constitution, and to fulfill the judiciary’s pledges to safeguard this principle.
The association also called for reforming the legal environment governing freedom of journalistic and media work in Baghdad, which has witnessed a clear decline over the past few years as a result of the authorities’ systematic approach to restricting dissenting opinions.
It is worth noting that Iraqi authorities frequently boast in international forums that there are no prisoners of conscience in the country, while at the same time dozens of journalists and opinion holders have been imprisoned or detained under laws inherited from the former dictatorial regime.
