23/8/2020
The governor of Karbala, Nassif al-Khattabi, prevented the Sumerian TV team from performing their work, and verbally abused them inside the provincial council building on Sunday morning.
Channel reporter Anwar Malik told the Press Freedom Advocacy Assdociation about his presence with his colleague Cameraman Bilal Amin inside the provincial building on duty, to meet the governor within the episode of the program Sabah al-Watan, and because of a technical glitch that led to the delay of broadcasting the episode, the governor abused the staff by insult and slander, and prevented them from doing their work after he asked them to leave the building immediately.
Al-Sumeria TV called the governor of Karbala demanding an official apology for insulting their staff and expelling them from the provincial building, saying it reserves the legal right to sue him.
Press Freedom Advocacy Assdociation expresses its astonishment at the governor’s attack on fellow journalists, especially since the delay in shooting is possible in all face-to-face meetings and others, and the governor’s actions are unjustified and violate the principles of the Constitution for freedom of journalistic work.
The association calls on officials in all state institutions to show flexibility in dealing with media cadres, to allow them to perform their work, and to stop attacking them while performing their journalistic duties.
