On 7 September, the Iraqi government ordered Arabic satellite network Al-Arabiya to shut down its Baghdad operations for one month, state television reported. The network said Iraqi police arrived at its offices later on Thursday to enforce the order which apparently was issued by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s cabinet.
In July, al-Maliki warned television stations against broadcasting footage that could undermine the country’s stability. A statement by the prime minister’s office cited news reports that ‘capitalise on the footage of victims of terrorist attacks.’ The statement said television stations should uphold the code of media ethics or else the government will take legal action against them.
The other pan-Arab satellite network, Al-Jazeera, had its office in the capital closed two years ago.