Shafaq News- Kirkuk
Iraqi Interior Minister Yasser al-Maliki on Sunday ordered measures to resolve complaints and lawsuits filed against journalists across Iraq, stressing that “press freedom must be respected.”
Speaking during a visit to the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate's office in Kirkuk, al-Maliki described journalists and media workers as partners in security efforts, saying public safety was a shared responsibility.
He emphasized the importance of protecting freedom of opinion and expression and avoiding restrictions on journalists.
The remarks come against a backdrop of concerns over press freedom in Iraq. In May, the Al-Nakhil Center for Rights and Press Freedoms called on the government to withdraw lawsuits filed against journalists by state institutions, warning that legal pressures were undermining independent reporting.
In June, a Baghdad court had sentenced journalist Qahtan Adnan to one year in prison on defamation-related charges following a complaint filed by a political figure.
Iraq ranked 162nd out of 180 countries in the 2026 Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index.