13/12/2020
A group of security elements of the Basra International Stadium prevented the Iq News Agency reporter from performing his duties while he was inside the stadium.
The coordinator of the Press Freedom Advocacy Association in Basra stated that the correspondent Ahmed Khairallah, after the end of Al-Karkh and Al-Mina match, entered the sports stadium to perform his work, like other journalists, but a group of stadium security personnel prevented him from covering him, verbally assaulted him, and forced him to leave.
He added that Abdullah expressed his dissatisfaction with the bad treatment he was subjected to by the security forces responsible for protecting the stadium, after one of the security affiliates threatened to sue him with his clan-based system.
While the Press Freedom Advocacy Association in Iraq wishes the safety of the fellow journalist, it considers what he was exposed to as a violation of the freedom of journalistic and media work, and unjustified behavior.
The association also calls on the concerned authorities to put an end to the cases of threats and intimidation that affect journalists while performing their duties, and to take prompt measures that protect media personnel to work freely, without attacking them.
