![Protesters wearing bandages crossing their mouths stand holding up signs showing the faces of two slain journalists captioned in Arabic "martyrs of the word" during an anti-government demonstration, also calling for freedom of the press, in the southern Iraqi city of Basra on 17 January 2020. [HUSSEIN FALEH/AFP via Getty Images]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1194134788.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
Some 305 violations against journalists and media organisations have been documented in 2020, the Press Freedom Advocacy Association in Iraq said yesterday.
In a report published on its website, the association said the most serious violations were committed during the first three months of the year which coincided with protests in the centre and south of the country.
According to the report, the violations included the assassination of four journalists, sending death threats to two journalists and assaulting others.
The association said it had also recorded “14 armed attacks against journalists and media institutions, in addition to the closure of 31 satellite channels and media institutions.”
“The Kurdistan Region [in northern Iraq] has seen a serious decline in press freedom, despite local laws supporting freedom of the press and the media and the right to information,” it said.
It was not possible to obtain immediate comment from the Iraqi authorities on the report.
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