Iraqi Freedoms Threatened by Internet Restrictions

Monday, 23 May, 2011

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Abeer Mohammed

Abeer Mohammed
IWPR Senior Editor in Baghdad

Iraq’s press is far from free. Journalists are regularly threatened and killed, while news organisations are often run by political parties or owners with particular agendas. Under these conditions, citizens don’t always get the information they need, and critical issues such as human rights are not adequately covered.

But there is a light at the end of the tunnel: the web. As the country embraces online culture, the challenge for Iraq is both how to build its internet infrastructure and respect the free flow of information.

When citizens have wider access to the internet, it is an indication that they are at least able to enjoy their fundamental right to freedom of expression.

Technology and human rights were key topics raised during recent World Press Freedom Day events in Washington, sponsored by the United Nations cultural agency, UNESCO, and the Department of State. Journalists from 25 countries were brought together to learn about how the internet and technology can be used to more freely - and more safely - disseminate information.

But the model of using online tools such as social networking sites and blogs to share information requires one thing: access to the internet. And that’s a big problem in Iraq. 

Saddam Hussein restricted satellite television and internet use. Eight years after his regime was toppled, many Iraqis are able to surf the web at home or visit internet cafes to do so. 

But because of high costs and poor internet infrastructure, online usage is significantly restricted. Iraqis have by far the least access to the web in the Middle East, according to the UN Agency for Information and Communication Technology. 

Even those with the best connections can’t stream video or audio, and need to be very patient when uploading or downloading files.

This doesn’t bode well for the free flow of information and the right to freedom of expression. Social media has created a new environment where people can exchange ideas, share information, hold officials accountable and organise themselves. All of us – citizens and journalists – have become both sources and providers of the news. Those are our rights.

Unfortunately, they are not always respected. Inspired by the uprisings in North Africa, Iraqi bloggers, activists and youth organised protests earlier this year using social networking sites. 

However, many of the organisers were arrested and detained. This was a violation not just of the right of citizens to protest but also an infringement of their right to use the internet. It was indicative of the restrictive environment that Iraqi journalists have grown accustomed to.

During the conferences and ceremonies the journalists attended in the United States, we were connected to the outside world via laptops, mobile phones, iPads and other technology. 

In my country, reporters are asked to hand over their mobile phones before attending any official event or even a press conference. Other electronic devices definitely aren’t allowed.

Combined with the constant threats against journalists, the restrictions have undermined Iraqi press freedom. 

More than 250 journalists and media workers have been killed since 2003, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. About 50 journalists have been jailed since 2003, says the Baghdad-based Journalistic Freedoms Observatory, and since May 2010 the government has closed ten media outlets. Freedom House’s 2011 Freedom of the Press survey described Iraq as “not free”.

Given the difficult conditions for the traditional press and activists who have tried to use the internet, the future of online freedoms in Iraq appears bleak. As UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon warned during a World Press Freedom Day event, "Some governments have simply extended to the internet the censorship they already practice in traditional media.”

But Iraq still has the opportunity to turn its record around. The government needs to declare that internet access is a fundamental right of its citizens, as are their rights to access information and enjoy a free press. 

The authorities should also empower people and encourage the free flow of information by improving the country’s online networking infrastructure. The media and civil society can help create a stronger internet culture by pressing for these rights.

These steps will show both Iraqis and the international community that this country is serious about human rights. It could be a turning point for the country, one that earns Iraq the reputation as a forward-looking, progressive nation. 

Abeer Mohammed is a senior IWPR editor in Baghdad. 

The views expressed in this article are not necessarily the views of IWPR.