Baquba The Local Administration of Khanaqin in Diyala Governorate decided to prevent the entry of journalists from outside the district without official approval.
A document issued by the Mayor of Khanaqin, obtained by NINA, said that it was decided to prevent the entry of any journalist or media team from outside Khanaqin without obtaining official approvals.
Activists and specialists confirmed that the reasons for the decision are due to the publication of media reports that offend the traditions and customs of Khanaqin and exploit people suffering from mental illnesses or select them in a directed way to market an agenda trying to create chaos and social disintegration.
For his part, the representative of the Metro Center for Defending the Rights of Journalists in Khanaqin, Amir Khanaqin, confirmed that the decision comes to protect Khanaqin from campaigns of targeting and abuse through media and news reports far from the conservative and committed reality in the city and its solid social cohesion.
He indicated that the decision excludes journalists in Khanaqin who belong to the journalists’ unions and are officially recognized to prevent trolls and those who attack the press from discrediting the professional media in Khanaqin and other areas, stressing that “the Khanaqin community refuses to prejudice its heritage and historical authenticity.
Source: National Iraqi News Agency