Shafaq News- Baghdad

Political analyst Najah Mohammed Ali Askar was banned on Sunday from appearing on all local and foreign media outlets operating in Iraq for one year, the Communications and Media Commission (CMC) said.

In a statement, the CMC cited a notice from Baghdad’s Al-Karkh First Investigation Court stating that Ali had not appeared before the competent courts and had not been arrested because he had “fled Iraq.”

The court notice described him as a fugitive defendant, but the CMC statement did not specify the charges against him.

Under the decision, media institutions, platforms, and outlets operating in Iraq must not host or interview Ali, allow him to appear, or provide media coverage about him. The CMC warned that outlets violating the ban would face legal consequences.

The ban will run for one year from the date of the decision, the regulator said, adding that it would remain in effect until Ali appeared before the judiciary and the competent authority issued otherwise.

In March, the CMC banned Ali from appearing on Iraqi media for 45 days over an X post that the regulator said violated broadcast rules, including provisions against incitement to violence and hatred and the publication of false or misleading material.

Iraq ranks 162nd out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders’ 2026 World Press Freedom Index, down from 155th in 2025. The Journalists’ Rights Defense Association documented 182 violations nationwide last year, including 53 instances of obstructed reporting and 24 equipment seizures, while Al-Nakhil recorded another 59 cases affecting media workers during the first half of 2026.

Article 38 of Iraq’s Constitution guarantees freedom of expression, the press, media, and publication. The Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights has warned that broad legal provisions and administrative restrictions can limit free expression in practice.

Read more: Silenced voices: The treacherous reality for journalists in Iraq