Iraq's Maliki Seeks Tighter Media Grip

By CHARLES LEVINSON

BAGHDAD -- Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has proposed a series of laws that lawmakers, Western officials and nongovernmental organizations say could curb democratic freedoms in Iraq.

If successful, the push would tighten government control over political parties, NGOs and the media, aiding Mr. Maliki's efforts to centralize authority over the country as the U.S. role in Iraq dwindles.

"Maliki is using all his political power to push through constitutional changes that will centralize power in his hands under the umbrella of security," said Julia Pataki, an adviser to Iraq's parliament working for the U.S. State Department-funded Institute for International Law and Human Rights. "These laws show Maliki appears to have a well-defined strategy and vision for Iraq, but they send mixed messages about just how democratic that vision is."

The prime minister's office says many of the new laws are necessary to confront security challenges and to minimize the influence of Iraq's neighbors.

Reuters

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, right, with President Jalal Talabani, visited Kurdish leaders on Aug. 2 to address renewed territorial conflicts.

In a reminder of just how daunting those security challenges remain, a series of bombs targeting Shiite worshippers killed at least 36 people in Mosul and Baghdad on Friday.

The bombings, which hit a Shiite mosque in Mosul and several minibuses ferrying Shiite pilgrims back to the capital Baghdad, appeared to be the latest attempt by insurgents to rekindle the sectarian warfare that shook the country in 2006 and 2007.

"We are fully committed to making Iraq a free and democratic country," an aide to Mr. Maliki said. "But we also face some of the most extraordinary security threats of any country in the world and have to be prepared to confront these threats on every level."

Mr. Maliki and his allies in government have submitted the proposed laws to parliament. Many of the bills are unlikely to be passed by the stalemated legislature before national elections in January. Mr. Maliki has a lot of political jockeying to do if he hopes to muster adequate support for them within parliament.

The bills include a proposal to give official legal status and expanded powers to a controversial body called the State Ministry for National Security, creating a "political crimes directorate" to monitor political parties and nongovernmental organizations, among other things, according to a draft of the law reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

Mr. Maliki established the ministry in 2005 -- in what U.S. officials complained was an effort to circumvent the authority of the U.S.-backed Iraqi intelligence chief. But parliament stripped the ministry of its funding this year, saying Iraq's constitution doesn't allow such a body.

The aide to Mr. Maliki said the ministry has had a number of significant security achievements, including preventing assassination attempts against senior officials.

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad declined to comment on Mr. Maliki's proposals.

Another proposed law would give the government extraordinary control over Iraqi NGOs, such as requiring government approval of every donation and project, and every new office opened.

The law was drawn up by the Minister for Civil Society Thamer al-Zubaidi, a close Maliki ally and member of the prime minister's Islamic Dawa Party. A spokesman for Mr. Zubaidi says the legislation is intended to fight rampant corruption among Iraq's 6,000 registered NGOs.

Hundreds of Iraqi NGOs are fictitious or surreptitiously funded by terrorist organizations, foreign governments or corrupt politicians, the spokesman said.

NGO leaders say they fear the government will also use the law to quash the activities of groups critical of the government, or pursuing agendas, such as women's rights, that some powerful Islamist parties oppose.

Critics say the draft ignores recommendations from a two-year project by the United Nations, Iraqi lawmakers and civil society leaders to frame new legislation on the issue.

"So many articles in this law go against what it means to have a free civil society, against the fundamental principles of liberty, and even against our own constitution," says Kurdish lawmaker Alaa Talibani, who heads the NGO committee in parliament and was part of the project.

Another draft law before parliament would put hefty restrictions on the media, requiring all journalists to be licensed by a quasigovernmental body that would also have final say over all hiring of journalists by domestic media organizations.

The proposed law also would restrict the use of anonymous sources and forbid the publication of articles that "compromise the security and stability of the country."

Mr. Maliki's office said in a statement that the government is committed to protecting press freedoms in Iraq and said the law is aimed at protecting journalists from violence.

Mr. Maliki also asked the Ministry of Communications to start blocking pornographic Web sites in Iraq, the first such restriction on the Internet here, raising alarms among free-speech advocates.

"We are afraid that once the government starts blocking Web sites to protect the morality of society, or taking other small steps to restrict democratic liberties, it is sure to soon include others," said Saad Eskander, the director of Iraq's National Archives and Library.

Write to Charles Levinson at charles.levinson@wsj.com