Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, May 5, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned by the suspension of the Iraqi political talk show Al-Haq Yuqal (The Truth Be Told), hosted by journalist Adnan Al-Taie on UTV, and urges Iraqi authorities to reverse the decision and ensure that media outlets can freely and independently operate.
“The suspension of Al-Haq Yuqal talk show without citing a clear and specific reason amounts to a restriction on press freedom and risks encouraging self-censorship,” said Sara Qudah, CPJ’s regional director. “We urge Iraqi authorities to end their legal harassment of the press and ensure that journalists and media outlets can operate freely, without fear of legal intimidation.”
On May 4, Iraqi authorities suspended the program for seven days and ordered the removal of past episodes from the channel’s platforms, citing “violations of public decency.” The decision—issued by Iraq’s Communications and Media Commission, its federal broadcasting, telecommunications, and information technology regulator—said the program “repeatedly violated articles 2 and 4 of the national broadcasting code, [related to] public taste and the accuracy of information.” However, no specific episode was mentioned in the commission’s decision.
UTV, a Baghdad-based satellite channel launched in 2020 and owned by the son of politician Khamis al-Khanjar, objected to the decision with a message to its viewers during the show’s usual time slot. It described the decision as “strange and unjust” and affirmed the program would return soon “in belief in the freedom of expression guaranteed by the constitution.”
CPJ called and messaged Al-Taie but received no response. In an appearance on his channel on May 4, Al-Taie said the suspended episode had condemned sectarian rhetoric. “If criticizing sectarianism threatens societal peace, then what exactly is the role of a journalist?” he asked.
When CPJ asked for clarification, commission spokesperson Haider Nadhem Al-Alaq said via messaging app, “We considered the decision sufficient because it includes the articles of the broadcasting code that were violated.”
This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.