BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Media watchdogs have urged Iraq's government to
end harassment and intimidation of journalists and push for the
release of a freelance photographer working for Reuters, who is
being held by the U.S. military.
In an open letter to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, the Committee
to Protect Journalists and the Journalistic Freedoms Observatory
said Iraqi media had made significant strides since the U.S.-led
invasion in 2003 but now faced tough challenges.
"Along with that progress Iraqi journalists have paid a steep
price," the groups said in the letter sent on Wednesday.
"In recent months, our organisations have documented a number of
assaults and instances of harassment committed by government
officials against journalists in various parts of the country under
the control of Iraq's central government."
The CPJ says Iraq is the most dangerous country for working
journalists, with 139 reporters and 51 others working for media
organisations killed in Iraq since the invasion.
Reporting on a complex conflict, journalists have faced attacks
from myriad groups, been caught up in bombings and clashes or been
killed by the U.S. military.
The media watchdogs called on Maliki's government to condemn
violent attacks and intimidation against journalists, as well as to
investigate and bring to justice those responsible for killing,
attacking, or harassing them.
They urged it to order government agencies to halt the filing of
politically-motivated lawsuits against journalists and
publications, and to suspend or amend Iraqi laws that criminalise
and set harsh penalties for press-related offences.
Iraq's intelligence service is suing Britain's Guardian newspaper,
the publication said last month. Other publications and websites
have also been threatened with lawsuits.
The groups also called on Maliki's administration to press the U.S.
military to respect the decision of an Iraqi court and release
Ibrahim Jassam Mohammed, a freelance photographer for Reuters who
has been held since September 2008 without charge.
Last November, the Iraqi Central Criminal Court ruled that there
was no evidence against Jassam and ordered U.S. forces to free
him.
A U.S. military spokesman said at the time the U.S. military was
not obliged to obey the local court's order and would continue to
hold him into 2009.
Jassam has since been moved to the Camp Bucca detention centre in
southern Iraq. The U.S. military says he is a security threat to
Iraq but has declined to provide evidence.
Reuters and global media watchdogs have frequently criticised the
U.S. military's refusal to deal more quickly with suspicions
apparently arising from what might be legitimate activities of
reporters, such as filming clashes.
(Writing by Daniel Wallis; Editing by Michael Christie and Lin
Noueihed)