Feb. 25th – Bad Day for freedom of press – democracy in Iraq:

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The Iraqi Society for the Defense of Press Freedoms have condemned the detention of journalists, who covered the BAGHDAD demonstrations on Friday, considering the 25 th of February as a “bad” day for the freedom of press and democracy in Iraq.   “We strongly condemn the detentions and aggressive acts against dozens of journalists and media workers in different parts of Iraq ,” a Society statement said on Saturday.   It said that “Al-Diyar TV Channel had been attacked by a military force, who detained 7 of its members and stopped its transmission, because it carried reports about the demonstrations in Baghdad ’s al-Tahrir Square and some other provinces.   It added that three of its members have been detained and two others who were beaten, have managed to escape.   The Society quoted al-Sumeria News Network that the security forces have detained two of   its correspondents, Sinan Adnan and Idris Jawad and its photographer, Safaa Hatam, after their coverage of al-Tahrir Square’s demonstration in central Baghdad .   “Iraqi Army forces have detained dozens of journalists and beating them in al-Tahrir Square, including Mazin al-Zubeidy, Khuloud al-Nassiry and Sattar al-Haj, who are members of the Society for the Defense of Press Freedom, whilst they confiscated their mobile phones, cameras and equipment, the statement said.   It stressed that another serious incident took place, when a security force followed and arrested four journalists during their lunch in a central Baghdad restaurant on Friday, who were reported to have been released late at night.   The statement also reported that a “Mob-Fighting Force had strongly beaten Reuters’ Photographer, Mushtaq Mohammed, during his coverage of a demonstration in Karabala city, whilst the Photographer of al-Salam Channel, Iyad al-Jumeily, was injured during his coverage of the same demonstration, which was attacked by the Army.   The Society, meanwhile, called on the Iraqi government to “release the detained journalists and to account the security forces who detained them, demanding the security forces to “issue an official apology for all journalists, media men and netwoks for the attacks and detentions that took place against them.   The Society also called on the security commands to “issue clear guarantees, not to repeat such tactics against reporters in he future, because they reflect a clear violence of the Iraqi Constitution that secured the freedom of expression and press.   RT / SKH     1123