“Last Sunday, after I completed editing the economy news and was preparing to present it; the general director of Iraqi Media Network, Mujahid Abu al-Hayl, notified me that I was fired from the network,” Hannan Mahdi told Rudaw.
Mahdi says she wasn’t surprised with the decision because members of the network’s administration had cautioned her after she supported protestors on Facebook.
“I didn’t heed the threats because I say nothing but the truth, and I won’t back down,” Mahdi added.
She has posted photos on her Facebook with protestors.
Hannan Mahdi holds a sign that reads "Iraq speaks up"during demonstrations in July 2018 in Baghdad, Iraq. Photo: Hannan Mahdi FB
She added that the head of the news section had summoned her days before she was fired, asking her to back away from protests because there were infiltrators.
“But I said that wasn’t true. Throughout my participation in the protestors at Tahrir Square, I encountered no one but simple people demanding their legitimate demands,” Mahdi said.
She says she was told she would face consequences if she didn’t back down. Since, she has worked as a freelancer with the network.
She says her termination letter had been prepared, but was shredded as the network couldn’t deal with the pressure from her supporters. She adds she hasn’t been paid for previous work by the network.
The Iraqi Media Network, however, denies that it has fired the anchor, saying that they have only transferred her from one department to another to increase the competency of their employees.
“What happened is the transferring of the colleague from the anchor’s department to the news room for rehabilitation. This is an internal order issued by the director of the channel based on recommendations by a specialized committee formed to reevaluate male and female anchors in all the channels of the network,” stated Ali al-Kanani, the director of Al Iraqiya.
Kanani said Mahdi was removed from the screens seven months ago as well for not being competent enough and was given a chance to elevate her skills.
He added that he had urged people not to think organizational changes were due to personal choices.
Iraq’s protests, which are mainly concentrated in the Shiite south, began on July 9 in the oil-rich province of Basra. They later spread into central provinces like the capital in Baghdad. Protesters are demanding jobs, basic services like water and electricity, and an end to corruption.
Fourteen people have been killed and hundreds more injured, according to Iraq’s own human rights commission. The Iraqi government blocked access to social media for nearly a week. Hundreds were detained, but were later released.
