Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004
Radical newspaper to reopen in Iraq
By Jonathan Steele
BAGHDAD, JULY 19. An Iraqi newspaper closed in March by the U.S. occupation authorities, sparking protests and an armed uprising that led to hundreds of deaths, has reopened, it emerged yesterday.
The next edition of the weekly, which supports the radical Shia Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, could appear within days.
"We were waiting for instructions from Najaf (Mr. Sadr's headquarters) and now we will come out again next week,'' Ali Yasseri, editor of Al-Hawza, said last night.
The occupation authorities closed the paper on March 28 for 60 days, saying it had violated regulations banning incitement to violence. But it was not clear that the paper's content in its final issue was any more radically critical of the occupation than earlier issues, against which the authorities had taken no action.
The closure seemed intended to reduce Mr. Sadr's influence. At the same time, the Americans published an arrest warrant for the cleric for alleged involvement in murder.
Both moves led to street demonstrations by hundreds of Shia Muslims in central Baghdad. This in turn led to heightened U.S. military patrols in Sadr city, the huge district full of jobless young people where Mr. Sadr counts most of his followers.
Armed clashes erupted, which led to a full-fledged uprising that lasted for two months and spread to Najaf, Kerbala, Kut and other southern cities. Hundreds died but the cleric's support went up in every public opinion poll, as he was seen as a champion of independence.
The Prime Minister, Ayad Allawi, put out a statement yesterday announcing the paper's reappearance, indicating this was a mark of his respect for press freedom.
-- Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004
Copyright © 2004, The Hindu.