Iraq on Monday suspended the operations of U.S.-funded Alhurra television after it broadcast a report alleging corruption in the country's Sunni and Shi'ite religious institutions.
The 12-minute documentary aired Saturday, claiming that the religious authorities were misusing state funds in administering religious sites and real estate.
The country's Communications and Media Commission accused the network of bias and defamation, saying the report lacked professionalism, balance and reliable evidence. It ordered the satellite network, which broadcasts reports in Arabic in the Middle East and North Africa, to halt its activities "until it corrects its position" and apologizes.
"These steps are tantamount to a final warning to the station, and a tougher punishment will be taken in case this offense is repeated," the statement said.
Both Sunni and Shi'ite officials attacked the television report. The Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary force, founded in 2014 by an edict from the top Shi'ite religious authority in Iraq Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, accused Alhurra of having "a hostile news policy."
Iraq's Sunni religious establishment claimed the report was full of "lies." The U.S. Agency for Global Media, the Washington-based news operation that includes Alhurra, defended the report as a "fair, balanced and professional report on the allegations of corruption" in Iraq.
Source : VOA