The UNESCO Iraq office, with the team specializing in the “Breaking the Silence to Promote Government Accountability and Judicial Measures to Protect Journalists and End Impunity” project, reviewed the progress of the project, which has entered its second year of implementation.
Representatives of the Board of Commissioners of the Media and Communications Authority, the Ministry of Interior, the Commission for Human Rights, representatives of journalists, some civil society organizations and other partners joined an in-depth workshop to discuss advocacy mechanisms after reviewing the most prominent goals achieved during the year of implementing this project funded by the Dutch Embassy in Iraq.
The participants in the workshop agreed on UNESCO’s action plan for the remaining activities and programs of its project, which it has been implementing for nearly a year. While Journalists and media workers expressed their rejection of the Prime Minister’s decision to authorize the Media and Communications Commission to grant licenses to journalists and media professionals to carry out their work, as this project focuses on “breaking silence barrier ” to lift the restrictions that restrict the movement and freedom of journalists in the field and the work of media coverage.
Although the Iraqi judiciary has shown great flexibility and cooperation in this project, to achieve its goal of reaching an Iraqi judiciary that respects the standards of freedom of expression, which is what the organization sees as a major achievement for this project, but the security measures on the ground that were based on what is known as (a permission letter of Baghdad Operations Command), which was canceled, still hinders the freedom of movement of journalists and the work of media coverage.
Representatives of the Iraqi Human Rights Commission, who participated in the workshop, also expressed the Commission’s desire to support journalists and UNESCO to achieve this goal, stressing readiness to direct its cadres in Baghdad and the provinces to cooperate and respond to journalists and defend their rights.
It is noteworthy that the Ministry of the Interior facilitated mutual discussions between the two parties within the framework of the project and its activities, and it also showed great cooperation in trying to educate its security forces not to attack or harass journalists, but journalists still suffer from constant security harassment on the ground, and this is what UNESCO seeks to end through the next phase of the project, seeking to enhance mutual trust between journalists on one hand and law enforcement and judicial forces on the other.
Source: National Iraqi News Agency
