The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Tuesday urged Iraqi authorities to reopen Al-Baghdadia TV’s satellite channel and to free its director and presenter, Ali Al-Dhabhawi.

CPJ’s Levant Program Coordinator Doja Daoud blasted the concurrent enforcement actions, stating:

The closure of Al-Baghdadia TV and the imprisonment of its director mark a deeply alarming escalation in the Iraqi government’s crackdown on independent media. Raiding newsrooms, arresting journalists, and using fishy criminal charges to silence dissent are unacceptable tactics. Iraqi authorities must allow journalists to work freely and without fear of reprisal.

The former presenter was handed a three-year jail sentence on Monday, having been found guilty under Articles 230 and 430 of the Iraqi Penal Code. Iraqi authorities raided the TV Channel’s office in Baghdad and conducted a raid on Al-Dabhawi’s home after the presenter openly criticized the National Intelligence Service.

The Iraqi Communications and Media Commission (CMC) has stated that Al-Baghdadia TV does not have a license to broadcast in Iraq. The raids led to the arrest of six journalists associated with the channel on accusations of disturbing the authorities and the seizure of the channel’s equipment.

The six journalists were released on bail Monday, while other employees of the station have gone into hiding. Wahab Al-Janabi, a lawyer for the journalists, stated:

The charges claim he assaulted a police colonel and several officers in Najaf while they were on duty. They also accuse him of threatening to kill a civilian at a medical complex, allegedly saying he was a journalist with wide influence who could do anything.

The TV channel has reportedly faced repeated harassment and prior shutdowns. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has also condemned the arbitrary closure of the channel’s offices and has urged authorities to restore its license to allow it to operate freely.

Iraq is ranked 156th out of 180 countries in the organizations’ World Press Freedom Index. Two other media outlets, Media21 and Iraq AlHadath have been shut down by authorities in the country within the past couple of months.