Pakistan Press Foundation condemns ban on Saudi newspaper in Iraq
Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF), an independent non-governmental institution committed to promoting and defending freedom of expression is concerned over ban on printing and distribution of Al-Sharq Al-Aswat, a Saudi-owned pan-Arab daily newspaper in Iraq.
Quoting the information from Reporters Without Borders (RSF), PPF Secretary General Owais Aslam Ali in a letter to the Prime Minister of Republic of Iraq said, Quote “Iraqi security forces conducted a raid on January 14, 2014 at a company responsible for printing and distribution of newspaper in Iraq and ordered for suspending operation on ground of violating Iraqi law by publishing and distributing a newspaper in this way. They also confiscated all copies of newspapers on sale in Iraq. This decision of Iraqi government to ban Al-Sharq Al-Awsat comes when political tension prevails between Saudi Arabia and Iraq and it also raises questions on freedom of information in Iraq. Ban reinforces the impression that the government is trying to control the coverage of current development very closely”.
Unquote
PPF condemns this ban and urges the government to lift it and ensure freedom of information in the country.
Pakistan Press Foundation
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