Baghdad – WAA – Wissam Al-Mulla
The Supreme Judicial Council confirmed, on Tuesday, working to ensure the protection of freedom of expression and not using lawsuits as a weapon to restrict freedom, while indicating the move to form publishing and media courts in all appellate regions in Iraq.
The head of the Publication and Media Court of the Supreme Judiciary, Amer Hassan, said in a statement to the (INA): “The Supreme Judicial Council participated in the workshop (Breaking the Silence) to enhance government accountability and judicial follow-up to protect journalists, which was organized by UNESCO,” noting that “the Council’s participation represents its keenness in all important courses and conferences related to journalistic work to understand the challenges facing journalistic work and understand the problems and challenges, and we seek to find solutions.”
He added that “the role of the Supreme Judicial Council in freedom of expression cases includes finding a mechanism that guarantees the protection of freedom of expression and the consolidation of freedom, and ensures that lawsuits filed against journalists are not used as a weapon to restrict freedom by forming publishing and media courts in all appellate regions in Iraq and by seeking the assistance of media experts delegated by the Journalists Syndicate and other bodies to express their opinions.”
In turn, the Director of Communication and Information at UNESCO Iraq, Diaa Al-Saray, told the (INA): “UNESCO, in cooperation with the Supreme Judicial Council, the Ministry of Interior, and a number of journalists, held a course within the context of the Breaking the Silence project to enhance legal accountability and judicial procedures for the safety of journalists and combat impunity.”
He added, “The organization seeks to spread culture among all parties concerned with the freedom of expression equation, whether they are journalists, media professionals, activists, bloggers, or content creators, in addition to involving the three authorities: legislative, executive, and judicial.”