Home
Iraqi parliament amends Journalists law
Baghdad, June 12 (AKnews) - The Iraqi parliament approved on Sunday amendments to the law to protect journalists and press freedom, an MP said.
Several laws were scheduled to be discussed on Sunday but the session was adjourned after al-Iraqiya list led by Ayad Allawi boycotted parliament due to a scuffle between their spokesman Haidar al-Mullah and Kamal al-Saaidi, a leader from Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law Coalition (SLC).
Saaidi reportedly hit Mullah with his stick in the parliament cafeteria when the latter refused to apologize for a remark he had made on television about him.
“The Law to Protect Journalists was discussed by the (assembled) MPs, and an agreement was reached to change the title of the law to 'Law to Protect Journalistic Work' in order to be more inclusive" said National Coalition (NC) deputy, Salman al-Mussawi.
"…it was proposed that the definition of a journalist be amended to include anyone who practices journalism and not just those who hold membership of the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate (ISJ)”.
The law had been strongly contested by media workers for limiting its definition of journalist as one who belongs to the ISJ.
Another amendment to the law according to Mussawi, states that journalists will now be awarded pensions after retirement.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Baghdad, June 12 (AKnews) - The Iraqi parliament approved on Sunday amendments to the law to protect journalists and press freedom, an MP said.
Several laws were scheduled to be discussed on Sunday but the session was adjourned after al-Iraqiya list led by Ayad Allawi boycotted parliament due to a scuffle between their spokesman Haidar al-Mullah and Kamal al-Saaidi, a leader from Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law Coalition (SLC).
Saaidi reportedly hit Mullah with his stick in the parliament cafeteria when the latter refused to apologize for a remark he had made on television about him.
“The Law to Protect Journalists was discussed by the (assembled) MPs, and an agreement was reached to change the title of the law to 'Law to Protect Journalistic Work' in order to be more inclusive" said National Coalition (NC) deputy, Salman al-Mussawi.
"…it was proposed that the definition of a journalist be amended to include anyone who practices journalism and not just those who hold membership of the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate (ISJ)”.
The law had been strongly contested by media workers for limiting its definition of journalist as one who belongs to the ISJ.
Another amendment to the law according to Mussawi, states that journalists will now be awarded pensions after retirement.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
