Iraqi channel faces month-long ban

I raqi authorities have ordered the closure for a month of Al Dijla television, which has aired intensive coverage of anti-government protests in recent months, media and police sources said on Tuesday.

“Interior Ministry forces fully shut down Al Dijla’s offices in Baghdad last night and respectfully asked the staff to leave,” a source from the broadcaster said.

An Interior Ministry official confirmed that security forces had stormed the offices in the Jadiriyah neighbourhood of east Baghdad late on Monday.

At least 80 employees work at the Baghdad bureau and another 50 work at the station’s headquarters in Amman, from where it broadcasts.

The Al Dijla employee, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the press, said the main office had been ordered by Jordanian authorities to stop broadcasting for a month.

The Iraqi government requested from Jordan that it halt the station’s broadcasting for a month based on an Iraqi complaint,” the source said.

Starting on Monday, the frequency on which Al Dijla typically broadcasts has showed a still image of its logo.

Al Dijla has provided daily coverage of the anti-government protests sweeping Baghdad and the Shi’ite-majority south since Oct 1, despite pressure on its staff.