A spree of attacks and threats against media outlets in Iraq has alarmed the United Nations, journalists and monitors, who demand the government prevent the "silencing" of journalists covering mass protests.
Raids over the weekend carried out by unidentified gunmen have added to concerns for freedom of expression that were first flagged when authorities implemented a near-total internet blackout after anti-government protests erupted last week in the capital and the country's south.
On Saturday evening, the Baghdad bureaus of Kurdistan-based NRT TV, Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya and local Al-Dijla channel were raided by masked men, the stations said.
NRT TV said the gunmen damaged equipment, which temporarily put the channel off the air, seized employees' phones and attacked local police.
Security camera footage aired by Al-Arabiya showed around a dozen men in tactical gear and helmets entering the bureau, ripping screens off walls and rummaging through drawers.
Al-Arabiya said it had received "assurances" from Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi's office that the incident would be investigated.
President Barham Saleh condemned the attacks as "unacceptable."
The UN's top official in Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, said she was "shocked at the vandalism (and) intimidation".
"Government efforts (are) required to protect journalists. Free media is the best safeguard of a strong democracy," she said.
A security source told AFP that another local channel, Al-Nahrein, had also been raided and its equipment damaged, and that Hona Baghdad (This is Baghdad) and Al-Rasheed had received threats.
"We received direct threats over our coverage of the protests," said a journalist at Al-Rasheed, which has closely covered protests and accused security forces of indiscriminate violence.
"They told us: 'Either you change your editorial line or you'll have the same fate as NRT and the rest.' So we preferred to cut our distribution," the reporter added, speaking on condition of anonymity.
– Bid to 'terrorise' media –
Throughout the week, bloggers and activists across the south also reported receiving text messages and phone calls threatening them and their families over their coverage.
"Coverage of demonstrations is very difficult and different from the usual coverage of events because the crackdown on protesters automatically affects the journalists," Dijlah TV's Mazen Alwan told Iraq's National Union of Journalists.
Various media outlets also took confidential measures to ensure the safety of their teams.
Iraq is ranked 156th out of 180 countries on the 2019 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
The media watchdog accused security forces of "disproportionate and unwarranted restriction of the right to inform".
"Instead of banning all journalistic activities, the security forces and local authorities have a duty to guarantee the safety of journalists so that they can do their reporting," said Sabrina Bennoui, RSF's Middle East desk head.
Iraq's judiciary on Monday discussed legal action against those who attacked media stations as well as protesters.
Ziad al-Ajili, head of the Journalistic Freedoms Observatory, said it was the first time he had witnessed such an attempt to "terrorise" media outlets.
"This is an organised, pre-planned operation to silence media. This is the fundamental way to oppress protesters," he told AFP.
"We expect more attacks," he warned.
Demonstrations first broke out last Tuesday in Iraq's capital and some southern cities, mostly attended by young protesters angry at mass corruption and unemployment.
News of gathering places for protests spread online.
The following day, authorities began restricting access to social media sites including Facebook and Instagram before completely shutting off the internet in all of Iraq, except the north.
Protesters say the aim was to block them from spreading footage of the violence by security forces dealing with demonstrations.
"The disruption comes at a critical time when Iraqis most need a voice," said cyber-security NGO NetBlocks, which has been tracking the blackout.
Iraqi president urges end to 'escalation' after days of deadly protests
Baghdad (AFP) Oct 7, 2019 –
Iraq's president called Monday for a "halt to escalation" after widespread protests that killed dozens, including an overnight rally in east Baghdad in which the military admitted using "excessive force".
Demonstrations have rocked the capital and Iraq's southern provinces since Tuesday, first demanding reforms to fight corruption and unemployment but ramping up to calls for a total overhaul of the country's political system.
In a televised address, President Barham Saleh appealed for a "halt to escalation" and proposed a "national, all-encompassing and frank dialogue… without foreign interference" to chart a way out of the crisis.
"There is no legitimacy to any political process or system that does not work to achieve your demands," Saleh said, addressing protesters.
The demonstrations are unprecedented in Iraq because of their apparent spontaneity and independence in a deeply politicised society.
But they have also been exceptionally deadly with more than 100 people killed and 6,000 wounded since Tuesday.
Witnesses have reported that security forces used tear gas and live rounds while authorities accused "unidentified snipers" of shooting at protesters and the police.
Saleh said those who attacked demonstrators and security forces were "enemies of the people" and denounced weekend raids on local and regional media stations.
His statement came hours after Iraq's military admitted using "excessive force outside the rules of engagement" against a protest in the east Baghdad district of Sadr City.
An overnight rally there deteriorated into clashes that left 13 people dead, according to medics and security sources.
In videos distributed on social media, protesters could be seen ducking into streets littered with burning tyres as volleys of gunfire and suspected heavy weapons were heard.
But by Monday evening, in line with government orders, the military had been pulled out of Sadr City and a few police officers could be seen on the edges of the neighbourhood, an AFP photographer there said.
– 'Accountability' –
Monday's statement was the first time security forces acknowledged using disproportionate measures, a step cautiously welcomed by Amnesty International.
"The security forces' admission of using excessive force is a first step that must be translated on the ground, to rein in the behaviour of security forces and the army," it said in Arabic.
"The next step is accountability."
The International Committee of the Red Cross on Monday urged for Iraqi health workers to be allowed to treat the wounded safely.
"The alternative is unthinkable for a population already weary and in need," said Katharina Ritz, ICRC's head of delegation in Iraq.
Sadr City, a densely populated, impoverished part of the capital, is a bastion of firebrand cleric Moqtada Sadr who has thrown his weight behind the protests by calling on Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi's government to resign.
– Reform pledges –
But the embattled premier instead announced a series of reforms to create jobs, boost social welfare and oust corrupt officials.
He has accused "saboteurs" of infiltrating the protests, a claim echoed by the Hashed al-Shaabi, a powerful network of mostly-Shiite, pro-Iran paramilitary units opposed to the US.
"We know who stands behind these protests. The plan to bring down the regime has failed," its chief Faleh al-Fayyadh told journalists in Baghdad.
He said his forces would support actions against corrupt institutions but not "the fall of the regime", a chant which has featured more prominently in the protests in recent days.
"Those who wanted to defame Iraq will be punished," Fayyadh said, adding that his forces were "ready for any government order".
His words echoed a statement earlier Monday by Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who accused "enemies" of trying to drive a wedge between Tehran and Baghdad.
"Enemies seek to sow discord but they've failed & their conspiracy won't be effective," Khamenei was quoted as saying on his office's Twitter account.
Iran has urged its citizens planning to take part in a major Shiite pilgrimage in Iraq to delay their travel into the country over the violence.
Baghdad has close but complicated ties with Tehran, which enjoys significant influence among its Shiite political groups, but is also an ally of Washington.
On Monday, Abdel Mahdi said he discussed the recent events and reform plans in a phone call with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, without providing further details.
And he said he met on Monday with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
