14/3/2021
Riot police severely beat Asia Correspondent HaidarSaleh while covering protests in Najaf
Haidar said, on a telephone call, to the Press FreedomAdvocacy Association in Iraq, that he was surprised that members of the riot police beat him with batons while covering the protests in the center of Najaf province, and although he had shown his ID, the force beat him, forcing him and his cameraman Zaid al-Salami to leave the scene immediately
Since Saturday, demonstrations have erupted in Najaf province to demand the sacking of the governor and his two deputies
At the time that the Association wishes safety to fellow reporters, it considers these incidents as flagrant violations of the freedom of journalistic and media work that is clearly guaranteed by the Iraqi constitution
The Association also calls on the security leadership in Najaf to hold accountable all members of the force that attacked the reporter, to stop harassing journalists on duty, and to comply with the constitution
Iraq is ranked among the international classifications for the freedom of journalism
