An Iraqi judge ordered the search and arrest of a journalist after he revealed a corruption case involving local justice. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) strongly condemns these trumped up charges against an investigative journalist.
On the night of Tuesday, July 23, police broke into the home of journalist Hassan Sabah ( I News ) in Basra, while he was away, to take him to the police station. The police then searched the house.
Hassan Sabah has decided to publish the video footage of the search on his Facebook page, noting in another publication that this procedure was ordered by a judge while the journalist had just published a report on public funds used to purchase a car at 70,000 euros for another judge in the region.
He adds that after several reminders, he also learned that a complaint dating back to February 2018 had been lodged against him by the public company of taxis at the airport and that the search was justified by this case.
“The lawsuits against Hassan Sabah are intolerable and clearly motivated by his investigative work ,” Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Middle East office said. Invoking a complaint dating back a year and a half ago is a fanciful pretext to justify the intimidation of a journalist who has just revealed a case of corruption “
Contacted by RSF, Hassan Sabah explains that he barricaded access to his house to prevent it being ransacked in the coming days by militias linked to political parties.
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