Attacks on the Press in 2010 - Committee to Protect Journalists

<strong>Attacks</strong> on the Press in 2010Also in November, Kouhyar Goudarzi of the Committee of HumanRights Reporters received the Washington-based National Press Club’s2010 John Aubuchon Freedom of the Press Award. Goudarzi was serving aone-year sentence for “propagating against the regime” and “congregationand mutiny with intent to disrupt national security.” Iranian journalist andwomen’s rights activist Jila Bani Yaghoob was awarded Reporters WithoutBorders’ Freedom of Expression Award in recognition of her online writingsat the sixth international “Best of the Blogs” event held in Berlin inApril.In October, the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishersgave Ahmad Zaid-Abadi its Golden Pen of Freedom Award in recognitionof his exemplary work. In his acceptance speech on behalf of the imprisonedZaid-Abadi, exiled Iranian journalist Akbar Ganji called on those inattendance to shed more light on the injustices done to Zaid-Abadi and thescores of other imprisoned and targeted journalists and their families.IraqInstability festered throughout the year as political parties wrangled toform a new government after March elections and U.S. troops handedover security to Iraqi forces in August. At least five journalists and threemedia support workers were killed in relation to their work, reflecting apersistent level of insecurity. Government forces were holding a criticalnewspaper editor without apparent charge or due process.Eight months of deadlock between the country’s three main politicalblocs appeared to end in November when parliament finally reconvenedand chose Jalal Talabani, head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, to serveagain as president. Talabani reappointed Nouri al-Maliki, head of the DawaParty, as prime minister. Ayad Allawi, leader of the secular Iraqiya blocthat actually won the most seats in parliament, was to serve as head of anew National Council for Strategic Policy, and his coalition was awardedthe speakership. But key slots remained open when cabinet appointmentswere made in December, signaling the tenuous nature of the deal.Amid the uncertainty, journalists faced new legal threats. The SupremeJudicial Council declared in July that it would create a special press courtto address media offenses such as defamation. The Journalistic FreedomsObservatory, a local press freedom group, challenged the constitutionalityof the court, citing Article 95 of the Iraqi Constitution, which states that“special or exceptional courts may not be established.” CPJ research shows240