Iraqi trade minister Abdelfalah Al-Soudani’s has decided to withdraw the lawsuits he had brought against two independent daily newspapers, Al-Mashriq and Al-Parlament, over articles linking him directly to cases of alleged corruption.
The minister had been demanding 150 million dinars (95,000 euros) in damages from Al-Mashriq and 50 million dinars (31,500 euros) from Al-Parlament.
The move was also welcomed by the Union of Iraqi Journalists, which noted in a May 13 statement that the withdrawal of the lawsuits had been requested by many Iraqi journalists as well as the union itself. “In taking this decision, the minister is recognising the growing role that journalists now play in Iraq,” the union said.
However, lawsuits filed by other government officials are still pending against other news media. Libel actions were brought against the independent daily Al-Bayanat Al-Jedida on March 15 and 30 by the petroleum ministry and the head of the company El Mansour, and a libel suit was brought against the privately-owned television station Aldiyar Sat on April 19 by the head of the state railway company.
