BAGHDAD, Iraq – Police ordered Al-Jazeera’s employees out of their newsroom Saturday after the Iraqi government accused the Arab satellite channel of inciting violence and closed its office for 30 days.
Iraqi Interior Minister Falah al-Naqib said the closure was intended to give the station “a chance to readjust their policy against Iraq.”
“They have been showing a lot of crimes and criminals on TV, and they transfer a bad picture about Iraq and about Iraqis, and encourage criminals to increase their activities,” he said. “We want to protect our people.”
Al-Jazeera officials said the closure was an ominous violation of freedom of the press. Haider al-Mulla, a lawyer for Al-Jazeera, said the channel would respect the decision but study its legal options.
Senior Iraqi police officials arrived at the station’s central Baghdad office Saturday evening and, in an extraordinary scene broadcast live on the network, sat at a table drinking soft drinks with senior staff as they calmly explained the order.
The police refused to leave the office before locking the newsroom and ordering employees to go home.
“It is a regrettable decision, but Al-Jazeera will endeavor to cover the situation in Iraq as best as we can within the constraints,” Jihad Ballout, the network’s spokesman, said.
In an Arab world rife with conspiracy theories, the decision to close the offices of the popular channel could reinforce the perception that decisions by Iraq’s interim government are influenced by the United States, which has long complained about Al-Jazeera’s coverage.
Iraqi interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said Saturday that the government had convened an independent commission a month ago to monitor Al-Jazeera’s daily coverage “to see what kind of violence they are advocating, inciting hatred and problems and racial tension.”
Based on the commission’s finding, the National Security Committee ordered the monthlong closure, Allawi said.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
