The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Tuesday urged Iraqi authorities to reopen Al-Baghdadia TV’s satellite channel and to free its director and presenter Ali Al-Dhabhawi.

CPJ’s Levant Program Coordinator Doja Daoud blasted the concurrent enforcement actions, stating:

The closure of Al-Baghdadia TV and the imprisonment of its director mark a deeply alarming escalation in the Iraqi government’s crackdown on independent media. Raiding newsrooms, arresting journalists, and using fishy criminal charges to silence dissent are unacceptable tactics. Iraqi authorities must allow journalists to work freely and without fear of reprisal.

The former presenter was handed a 3 year jail sentence on Monday, having been found guilty under Articles 230 and 430 of the Iraqi Penal Code . Iraq

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