Shafaq News- Baghdad
Iraqi Al-Karkh Misdemeanor Court sentenced journalist QahtanAdnan to one year in prison on charges of defamation, insult, and slander,according to a judicial ruling on Tuesday.
The court also issued an arrest and search warrant againstAdnan, and ordered that the verdict be published in local newspapers. Theruling stated that Adnan Al-Danbous, a senior figure in the Reconstruction andDevelopment Coalition, led by former Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al- Sudani,filed the complaint against the journalist.
In May, Iraq’s PrimeMinister Ali Al-Zaidi called for adherence to professional and ethical mediastandards, noting the need todistinguish between freedom of expression and practices such as extortion,defamation, and character assassination.
Iraq's Communications and Media Commission (CMC) suspended five political television programs,fined three media outlets, warned two Arab broadcasters, and restricted 18media figures between Dec. 1 and May 31.
Iraq ranked 162nd inthe 2026 Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index, placing italongside Sudan and Yemen at the bottom of the global ranking.
: Can Iraq's free press survive its politically-tainted rulers?