Elections Commission withdraws case against Journalist Hashim Hassan

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The Iraqi Journalists Syndicate has announced on Thursday that Iraq ’s High Independent Elections Commission had responded to a request by the Syndicate to cancel the legal case against the Journalist Hashim Hassan and al-Mashriq newspaper.   “The High Independent Elections Commission had cancelled its legal case against the Iraqi Journalist, Hashim Hassan and al-Mashriq Newspaper, a Syndicate statement, by its Chief, Moayad al-Lamy, said, adding that the “Syndicate had always interfered to settle conflicts, caused by publishing articles that create such conflicts between its members and other parties.”   Lamy said that his Syndicate had taken the measure, in response with the freedom of expression, guaranteed by the Iraqi Constitution, as well as its commitment towards moral and vocational responsibility,” expressing gratitude for the decision of the said Elections Commission, that reflected respect for freed of opinion.   A statement by the said Commission had announced early in the day that it had withdrawn its case against al-Mashriq and al-Barlaman newspapers, calling on the Journalists Syndicate to take legal measures, that cope with its internal system, regarding the publication of articles and reports in its newspapers.   The Iraqi Journalist and Media Professor in Baghdad University, Hashim Hassan, had published an article in al-Mashriq newspaper on May 5 th , calling for accounting the members of the Higher Independent Elections Commission by the Iraqi Parliament, charging it with corruption, a thing considered by the Commission as “a claim that did not stand on any fact, demanding him a compensation of 2 billion Iraqi dinars.”   SKH (FT) 585