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Democracy backfires on US
31/03/2004 09:47 - (SA)
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Protesters demand return of popular paper
(Murad Sezer, AP) |
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Tarek al-Issawi
Baghdad - Accused by some Iraqis of curbing press freedom, the United States on Tuesday defended a decision to close down a Shi'ite weekly it claimed was fomenting violence against its troops.
The weekly Al-Hawza, a mouthpiece of outspoken Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, was closed on Sunday on an order from Paul Bremer, the top civilian US official in Iraq.
The order claimed that the paper's articles "form a serious threat of violence against coalition forces and Iraqi citizens who co-operate with coalition authorities in rebuilding Iraq." The paper will close for 60 days.
Iraqi media under Saddam Hussein were tightly controlled, with all newspapers as well as television and radio stations following the line of the now-defunct ruling Baath Party.
"There are over 200 Iraqi newspapers that have sprouted up since liberation," Dan Senor, speaking for the Coalition Provisional Authority.
Iraqi journalists meet weekly with Bremer, he said.
Bend over backwards
"We bend over backwards to protect the free Iraqi press's right to exist and practice their trade here in Iraq. What we will not tolerate, however, is individuals or organisations that seek to incite violence against the coalition," Senor said.
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said in a statement Monday that it was "deeply troubled" by the closure of Al-Hawza weekly.
"The CPA's abrupt and dramatic closure of Al-Hawza sends a disturbing message about respect for press freedom and due process," said CPJ Executive Director Ann Cooper. "This is the wrong message to convey, especially as Iraqis are working toward restoration of their political sovereignty."
Senor said Al-Hawza "repeatedly uses rhetoric designed to incite violence against US soldiers and against the Iraqi people. We have an obligation to step forward and shut them down and we did it for 60 days."
Iraqi Governing Council member Ezzeldine Saleem said Bremer closed down the newspaper without consulting the US-appointed council.
"Such an act will limit people's freedoms, lead to extremism and cause a rebellion in the Iraqi political situation. It does not serve stability," he said.
The Iraqi Journalists Union held a protest on Tuesday and described the closure as a first step "toward limiting freedom of the press." "This contradicts American claims that they brought freedom of the press and freedom of speech to Iraq. We hope they reconsider and take steps to protect these freedoms," said Shihab al-Tamimi, head of the union.
The union called the closure "a very dangerous step" and said it was aimed at "silencing" journalists.
- AP
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