Baghdad journalist detained over report on Chinese car brand
Shafaq News- Baghdad
Baghdad police summoned journalist Salem al-Sheikh on Sunday over a report he published criticizing the after-sales services of Jetour, a Chinese automobile brand, detaining him briefly while bail procedures were completed, an informed source told Shafaq News.
No details had been disclosed regarding the nature of the complaint or the party that filed it.
The Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights reported last month a rise in violations against journalists, including kidnapping, arrest, assault, and coverage bans, warning of accelerating erosion of press freedom and a persistent absence of accountability. Recent weeks, the observatory said, had seen a serious escalation in frequency, as legal protections weakened and formal and informal restrictions on the media environment tightened.
Read more: The New era of control: Can Iraq's free press survive its politically-tainted rulers?
