Press freedom group: violations against Iraqi journalists sees fall, but crackdown grew harsher

BAGHDAD — Violations against journalists and media outlets in Iraq declined in 2025 compared with the previous year, but pressure on press freedom remained intense and in some cases grew more severe, according to a new report by the Press Freedom Advocacy Association in Iraq.

The association said it documented 182 violations in 2025, down from 457 in 2024, but argued the drop in cases did not reflect improved conditions. “Despite a reduction in the number of violations compared to last year, the severity and gravity of these violations have increased,” the group said in its 2025 annual report, which tracked incidents from Jan. 1 to Dec. 28.

“Cases of restriction and the decline of press freedoms in Iraq continue at a deeply alarming rate,” the report said, adding that 2025 showed “a clear shift in strategies of repression targeting journalists of all genders and media outlets.”

The group’s breakdown of 2025 cases included 34 arrests and detentions, 53 instances of preventing coverage, 22 cases of assault and obstruction, 28 lawsuits tied to journalistic work, seven threats and intimidation cases, two cases of murder or attempted assassination, four broadcast suspensions, 21 violations attributed to the Communications and Media Commission, and 11 other cases.

The association said journalists faced “increasing pressure and unprecedented challenges,” blaming what it described as the growing “instrumentalization of state authorities” to silence reporting and restrict media work. It accused the government of intensifying monitoring of journalists and outlets and relying on lawsuits filed under laws dating back to the former Baathist regime.

The report also singled out the Communications and Media Commission, calling it “one of the most prominent entities misusing powers not stipulated in its mandate to ban, block, or suspend media outlets, television programs, and news websites.”

Security agencies, it said, continued to restrict journalists through practices including equipment confiscation and detention, and alleged that some journalists were subjected to assault and torture “without deterrence or accountability.”

In its 2024 report, the association said it documented 457 violations, including the killing of three journalists and the severe injury of another, along with dozens of arrests, armed attacks and 280 cases of obstruction or prevention of coverage. “No governorate, month, or week passed without incidents of harassment, court summons, or targeted violence against journalists,” the group said in the 2024 report.

In 2025, the association said February recorded the highest number of violations, followed by July. By governorate, Baghdad recorded the most cases with 62, followed by Sulaymaniyah with 22 and Basra with 19.

“The aim of this annual report is not to attack any specific entity, but rather to correct course and reinforce the principles of media freedom and journalistic work guaranteed by Article 38 of the Iraqi Constitution,” the association said. It described the report as an appeal to the international community and organizations tasked with protecting freedoms, calling for action to address what it said Iraqi journalists endure while reporting.