Media banned from covering military parade in Wasit

9/1/2021

Wasit police chief’s information officer prevented journalists from covering a military parade ceremony held inside Kut Air Base.

The Press Freedom Advocacy Association told colleagues at the foundation that the ban affected their correspondent in Wasit, Naseer al-Kabji, and other media groups who were present at the base to cover the parade on Saturday morning.

The colleagues reported that the command’s information officer verbally abused journalists, threatening to break their press equipment if they did not back down from the filming.

While the Press Freedom Advocacy Association in Iraq condemns the denial of colleagues’ journalistic duties, it considers the incident a violation of the principles of freedom of journalistic and media work in the country.

The association calls on Wasit’s security leaders to show flexibility in dealing with the media, to allow them to perform their duties, and to comply with the Iraqi Constitution.