New Delhi (NVI): The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has strongly condemned an incident in which some religious fanatics stormed and burned down Iraqi broadcaster Dijlah TV’s headquarters in Baghdad on Tuesday.
The protesters who indulged in the whole rampage had accused the station of broadcasting musical content on a religious day of mourning and “insulting religion.”
“On Sunday 30 August, Shi’ites – the majority in Iraq – celebrated Ashura, which commemorates the martyrdom in 680 of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, a founding event of Shi’ite Islam,” the IFJ said in a statement, adding that a mob damaged the TV’s headquarters two days later on September 1 (Tuesday).
On the same day (of Ashura- August 30), Diljah TV aired its regular programming, including content featuring music and dancing. The broadcasts provoked the anger of dozens of demonstrators who considered it inappropriate and an “insult to religion,” according to the Federation.
Even as Dijlah TV quickly apologized and claimed it was an unintentional error, several dozen demonstrators, angry at the festive program, assaulted the TV’s premises the following day.
According to reports, the mob torched the office, injuring four media workers and destroying virtually all the bureau’s equipment.
On top of that, a Baghdad court also issued an arrest warrant against the station’s director, Jamal al-Karbuli, accusing him of deliberately insulting religion, a charge which can be publishable with up to three years in prison under the Iraqi penal code.
However, this is not the first time that Diljah’s TV offices have been attacked. In October 2019, armed masked men stormed the station’s premises in Baghdad and burned them down, the IFJ said in a release.
IFJ General Secretary, Anthony Bellanger, said: “Violence against media workers in Iraq is on the rise. It’s the Iraqi government’s responsibility to protect media workers and guarantee their safety”.
-ARK
