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January 04, 2026 – Iraq –
Press freedom in Iraq deteriorated throughout 2025 amid a proliferation of violations against journalists and the absence of a dedicated legal framework to protect media workers, according to monitoring groups and rights defenders. The Journalists’ Rights Defense Association recorded 182 violations of press freedom during the year, encompassing arrests, physical assaults, coverage restrictions, legal complaints, equipment seizures, and fatal attacks, underscoring the precarious conditions under which Iraqi journalists operate.
Despite constitutional guarantees of freedom of expression and press in Article 38 of Iraq’s federal constitution, journalists lack a specific statute that shields their rights and safety, leaving them reliant on outdated provisions of the 1969 Penal Code that critics argue are ill-suited to contemporary media work. Legal experts and journalists have called on legislators to prioritise pending draft laws that would codify protections for reporters, media outlets, and political analysts and provide clarity on permissible journalistic activity. Without such legal safeguards, practitioners continue to face systemic vulnerabilities to arbitrary prosecution and reprisals.
The 182 recorded violations in 2025 included 34 arrests and detentions, 53 instances of preventing coverage, 22 cases of assault and obstruction, 28 legal actions connected to journalistic work, and seven threats or intimidation cases. There were also broadcast suspensions and violations attributed to the Communications and Media Commission, which rights groups allege has misused its regulatory powers to ban, block, or suspend independent outlets and programming. In Baghdad, where the highest number of cases were documented, journalists reported being treated with hostility by some security forces during protests and other public events.
While the raw number of violations in 2025 was lower than the 457 incidents reported in 2024, press freedom advocates caution that this statistical decline does not reflect improved conditions. Instead, they argue, the severity of state pressure has increased, with more targeted and punitive actions against journalists and media institutions. These include expanded surveillance, equipment confiscations, and entanglements in legal processes that lack clear protections for due process.
Civil society and press freedom organisations continue to push for comprehensive legislative reform and accountability mechanisms to protect journalists. Without such measures, rights defenders warn, Iraqi journalists will remain vulnerable to repression, legal harassment, and physical danger, illustrating a broader crisis of free expression and media independence in the country’s fragile democratic context.
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