Iraq’s Press celebrates today (Wednesday) its 142nd Day

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The Iraqi Press is celebrating today, June 15 th , its Press Day, commemorating the 142 nd anniversary of the issuance of “al-Zawraa,” the first Iraqi newspaper, issued during the Ottoman Rule in 1869.   The Iraqi journalists are celebrating their 142 nd Day under the absence of laws that secure the freedom of opinion and expression, cited in the Constitution and the delay of passing the Iraqi Journalists Protection Law by the Parliament, according to statements by journalists and press professors.   “This anniversary is taking place amid the continuation of suffering by the Iraqi press, in its search for the truth, despite fact that the democratic transformations in the country had opened a broad gap for freedom,” Chairman of the Press Division in the Media Collage of Baghdad University, Dr. Hassan Kamel told IraqiNews.com news agency.   Dr. Kamel said that “what is needed now, more than any previous time, is the promulgation of laws to organize the press activity, including the law of the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate, in order to pave the way for a free responsible press.”   The Chairman of the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate, Moayad al-Lamy, expressed hope that the Parliament would soon pass the Law on Journalists Protection, already discussed by the Parliament, with the presence of over 160 journalists in its Tuesday session.   Speaking about the Iraqi Press Day, Lamy said that the Journalists Syndicate would hold a huge celebration on Wednesday, to be attended by thousands of journalists, along with leading officials, diplomats and men of law.   SKH (RT)