Al-Jazeera banned from covering activities of Governing Council for a month

Reporters Without Borders today strongly condemned Iraq's Governing Council for banning the pan-Arab TV station Al-Jazeera from reporting on the Council's activities for a month, from 28 January to 27 February. "Boycotting the media and giving in to the temptation to censor it is not the way to escape criticism," said the organisation's secretary-general, Robert Ménard. "Despite the Council's problems, this move is counter-productive and will only delay creation of an atmosphere of trust fostering press freedom." The station said the measure, announced on 31 January, followed broadcast comments by a viewer about the Iraq situation during the phone-in programme "Opposite Directions." Council spokeswoman Marouj Haider said Al-Jazeera has shown "disrespect to Iraq and its people" and to prominent religious and political leaders. The station had tried to cover a press conference on 31 January given by Council president Adnan Pachachi, but its journalists were turned away. Reporters Without Borders expressed surprise at the decision, which came only a few days after the Council had allowed another pan-Arab satellite station, Al-Arabiya, to resume its activities in Iraq after a two-month ban. The Council banned Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya last 23 September from covering its activities and all official events for two weeks for allegedly encouraging political violence and the murder of Council members and US and British troops. The move followed an assassination attempt three days earlier on Council member Akila al-Hashimi.