Iraq Bans Al Jazeera News Network In Baghdad
KABUL: (MEP) Iraqi authorities have shut down the Baghdad bureau of Al Jazeera Media Network over violating government guidelines issued in 2014 to regulate media “during the war on terror.”
In a Wednesday letter to the controversial satellite network, Iraq’s Communications and Media Commission (CMC) said it was revoking the license that allowed Al Jazeera to operate in Iraq due to “violations of the official codes of conduct and broadcasting rules and regulations.”
The network released a statement in response to the CMC’s decision denying that they have violated any professional journalism standards and saying it was “shocked” by the decision.
“We remain committed to broadcasting news on Iraq to Iraqi people, our viewers in the Arab world and across the world,” the statement said.
The Commission’s decision “contradicts the promises of the Iraqi government to protect freedom of speech,” the statement added.
The guidelines were issued in 2014 to regulate media coverage “during the war on terror.” Iraq is engaged in anti-terror operations against the Takfiri Daesh group, which has overrun parts of the country.
Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders, in its 2016 World Press Freedom Index, ranked Iraq 158 out of 180 countries, dropping two places from 2015.
