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'Silencing' of Iraq Protests Coverage Feared After Attacks

Agence France-Presse

   BAGHDAD - A spree of attacks and threats against media outlets in Iraq
   has alarmed the United Nations, journalists and monitors, who demand
   the government prevent the "silencing" of journalists covering mass
   protests.

   Raids over the weekend carried out by unidentified gunmen have added to
   concerns for freedom of expression that were first flagged when
   authorities implemented a near-total internet blackout after
   anti-government protests erupted last week in the capital and the
   country's south.

   On Saturday evening, the Baghdad bureaus of Kurdistan-based NRT TV,
   Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya and local Al-Dijla channel were raided by masked
   men, the stations said.

   NRT TV said the gunmen damaged equipment, which temporarily put the
   channel off the air, seized employees' phones and attacked local
   police.

   Security camera footage aired by Al-Arabiya showed around a dozen men
   in tactical gear and helmets entering the bureau, ripping screens off
   walls and rummaging through drawers.

   Al-Arabiya said it had received "assurances" from Prime Minister Adel
   Abdel Mahdi's office that the incident would be investigated.

   President Barham Saleh condemned the attacks as "unacceptable."

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