17 May 12 | Index Index, Middle East and North Africa, minipost
The editor of a Iraqi Kurdish magazine has been arrested for reprinting an allegedly blasphemous article. Hamin Ary, editor of Kurdish and Arabic monthly publication Chirpa (Al-Hamsah in Arabic) was arrested on 7 May after publishing an article by controversial writer Goran Halmat. Ary was arrested for “offences that violate religious sensibilities”, an offence which carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison. The article, entitled “Me and God” was originally posted on Facebook in 2010, and was deemed “offensive to Islam”.
04 Apr 12 | Index Index, minipost
A TV presenter has been killed by a car bomb in Iraq. Kamiran Salaheddin was killed at around 9pm on Monday (2 April) night, after a bomb placed under his car exploded. Salaheddin presented Al-Iraq w-al Hadath (Iraq and Events), a news and current affairs programme on Salahaddin TV, where he had been employed since 2005. The journalist was also the head of the local journalists’ union in Tikrit. Salaheddin is the first journalist to be killed in Iraq this year.
07 Dec 11 | Index Index, minipost
Six media offices have been attacked, and 16 journalists have been threatened and assaulted in Iraqi Kurdistan during widespread riots. The offices of a number of media organisations owned by opposition group the Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) were set on fire. KIU offices in the cities of Dohuk, Zakho, and Simel were also attacked. Local reports stated that between six and 10 KIU journalists had been arrested since 2 December.
12 Sep 11 | Index Index, Middle East and North Africa, minipost
Well known journalist Hadia Al-Mahdi was found dead at his home in Baghdad on 7 September. The body of Al-Mahdi was found in his home in the Al-Karada district at around 7pm. He had been shot twice in the head. It is believed that his murder was politically motivated. Madhi hosted a popular talk show called “To whoever listens” on Radio Demozy where he tackled a wide range of subjects including the Iraqi educational system and corruption. Mahdi’s murder comes almost one month after the Iraqi parliament adopted a law on the protection of journalists on 9 August.
