Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Baghdad court issues arrest warrant for owner of Iraqi broadcaster Dijlah TV

Baghdad court issues arrest warrant for owner of Iraqi broadcaster Dijlah TV

Iraqi authorities should immediately drop the arrest warrant for Jamal Karbouli, the Iraqi owner of Amman-based Dijlah TV, and allow Dijlah TV to operate freely and without fear of reprisal, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Dijlah TV has an office in Baghdad and broadcasts in Iraq.
Baghdad’s Rusafa Investigative Court yesterday issued an arrest warrant for Karbouli for allegedly insulting Shia Muslims in Iraq by broadcasting music on Dijlah TV’s affiliated channel Dijlah Tarab during Ashura, a day of mourning, according to news reports and copies of the arrest warrant and the complaint filed against Karbouli, which CPJ reviewed. The warrant said Karbouli’s place of residence is unknown.

Ashura, which started the evening of August 28 this year and ended the next night, is a holy day for Shia Muslims that commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussein in Karbala. According to news reports, Dijlah Tarab broadcast a concert during the holiday. In an apology, Dijlah TV blamed the administration of Dijlah Tarab, without specifying what went wrong, according to news reports.

“Offending religious sentiments cannot be a justification for ordering the arrest of the owner of a broadcaster, especially when the broadcaster has already issued a public apology,” said CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa representative Ignacio Miguel Delgado. “We call on Iraqi authorities to immediately revoke the arrest warrant against Jamal Karbouli and allow Dijlah TV to operate freely and without fear of retaliation.”

According to the same sources, a group of lawyers filed the complaint against Karbouli with the Baghdad court, prompting the court to issue the arrest warrant. The reports do not specify whom the lawyers represented in their complaint. If Karbouli is found guilty of offending religious views, he could face up to three years in prison according to Article 372/1 of the Iraqi Penal Code.

The Rusafa court also called on Iraq’s media regulator, the Communications and Media Commission (CMC), to take legal and administrative measures against Dijlah TV, news reports said. On August 30, CMC released a statement saying that the commission is looking into the matter, according to reports.

Neither the Justice Ministry nor the CMC immediately replied to CPJ’s requests for comment sent via email and messaging app.

On August 30, Dijlah TV issued a statement apologizing to all the believers in Iraq and clarifying that Dijlah Tarab did not intentionally schedule the musical programming on the holiday, according to news reports.

The statement also said that Dijlah Tarab would temporarily cease its broadcast out of respect for Shia Muslims, and take administrative action against Dijlah Tarab administrators, though it did not specify what kind of action.

Yesterday, Karbouli published a statement on his Facebook account indicating that he would cooperate with authorities by saying that he will respect the judiciary and appear before it. The warrant CPJ reviewed, however, makes no mention of a summons or a court date.

Karbouli added on Facebook that the Dijlah Tarab channel airs only apolitical content and aims to promote Iraqi art and cultural heritage among the Arab public. It employs no journalists, he wrote, just computer technicians who live abroad.

Protesters yesterday gathered in front of the Dijlah TV of office in Baghdad, ransacked it, destroyed broadcasting equipment, and set it on fire, according to footage and pictures posted by Dijlah TV on its Twitter account, news reports, and Iraqi press freedom organizations. In his Facebook statement, Karbouli accused “dark militias” of being behind the destruction, though did not provide any additional details.

In addition to owning Dijlah TV, Karbouli is the leader of the Al-Hal movement, a Sunni-based opposition party, according to Karbouli’s Facebook page and news reports. Karbouli did not immediately reply to CPJ’s request for comment sent via messaging app.

CPJ has documented several previous incidents regarding Dijlah TV. In the course of antigovernment protests that began in October 2019, the station has been ransacked and torched by unknown assailants, raided and shuttered by security forces, and closed by the CMC.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
×