The General Secretariat of the "Arab Journalists Union" convened in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on June 29 and 30, at the invitation of the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate, at its headquarters, chaired by the Union's President, Moayyad Al-Lami. Members of the General Secretariat attended and agreed to issue the "Baghdad Statement." The meeting included the President of the "Freedom Committee," the Union's advisor, and the Secretary-General of the International Federation of Journalists. The agenda covered organizational, political, and professional issues. The attendees expressed their "gratitude and appreciation to the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate for its generous hospitality and warm welcome," as well as their great appreciation for the decision of the Iraqi Prime Minister to allocate a residential area for the benefit of Iraqi journalists, and their pride in joining Iraqi journalists in celebrating Iraqi Journalism Day, which marks the 155th anniversary of the issuance of the first Iraqi newspaper. This occasion serves as a reminder of the significant contributions made by Iraqi media throughout the history of this great nation, recognized for its leading role in various political, cultural, and scientific fields. The attendees expressed their firm belief that Iraqi media will continue its path of professionalism, ensuring its effective and positive contribution to the unity and strength of Iraq and its people's relentless pursuit of further development and progress.
The members of the General Secretariat also acknowledged the "huge sacrifices made by their Iraqi journalist colleagues for the sake of establishing the unity and independence of Iraq, protecting its people's rights and legitimate aspirations." They honored the spirits of the heroic martyrs among Iraqi journalists who fell victim to treachery, especially during the period of purging the proud land of Iraq from the remnants of terrorists. After "extensive discussions and serious deliberations held in an atmosphere of responsibility and maturity," they agreed to issue the "Baghdad Statement," which included:
On the political level: The meetings of the Union's General Secretariat coincided with delicate and difficult circumstances that present significant challenges globally due to the ongoing Israeli occupation committing heinous crimes collectively classified by international judicial, political, and media circles as acts of genocide and crimes against humanity, constituting serious violations of all international legal and human rights sources. This is evident in the obvious complicity of evil forces in the world, particularly from many Western countries that have long claimed their commitment to human rights while imposing violent oversight over many nations regarding these issues.
Despite the clear and explicit resolution from the United Nations Security Council calling for a ceasefire in resilient Gaza, and despite the International Court of Justice's unanimous agreement on the same resolution, and the stance of the International Criminal Court's Prosecutor promising to submit a request for an arrest warrant against the Prime Minister of the Israeli entity and his Defense Minister, and despite the massive protests erupting in various countries demanding an end to this vile war, the Israeli occupation has disregarded all of this and continued to defiantly perpetrate its terrorist crimes against the Palestinian people in Gaza, the West Bank, and all Palestinian territories. This has exposed the significant fragility of international legitimacy and its respective mechanisms, revealing how some Western countries manipulate human rights issues according to their strategic and economic interests. Therefore, it is no longer possible to speak of any credibility for such entities that would qualify them to firmly establish rights and legitimacy.
The Arab Journalists Union expressed its "condemnation of the cowardly positions of many international organizations that have burdened the world with slogans defending human rights while sheltering in silence during these delicate, difficult, and dangerous circumstances threatening humanity's future." The Union also expressed its "astonishment at the hesitance of some factions in addressing the crimes of the Israeli occupation and defending the Palestinian people's legitimate right to life, as seen with the European Parliament."
On the other hand, the Union affirms that "many Western media outlets have cast aside all conditions of true professional practice, turning a blind eye and siding with the criminals, shamelessly committing bias, obscuring, and fabricating false news." In contrast, the Arab Journalists Union commends the courageous positions of the "International Federation of Journalists" regarding the Israeli aggression on Gaza. In this context, the Union decided to send urgent messages to international human rights organizations, holding them fully accountable for their failure to defend the rights of the Palestinian people and calling for an immediate ceasefire. It also urged continued coordination with the International Federation of Journalists and the establishment of a digital media platform in multiple global languages to expose the enemy's crimes and defend the heroic Palestinian people. Additionally, the Union called for activating a financial support fund for Palestinian journalists, particularly for the families of martyrs among them, and invited Arab journalistic organizations that are members of the Union to organize events that include various forms of financial, media, and professional support for their journalist colleagues in steadfast Palestine. The Union demands actual contributions to treating Palestinian journalists who are wounded and injured.
The General Secretariat expressed its "pride in the pioneering roles played by Palestinian journalists," mourning "the souls of the martyrs who watered the steadfast land of Palestine with their pure blood, and for the souls of the martyrs among Lebanese journalists who fell victim to the hands of Israeli terrorism while fulfilling their professional duties." It condemned "in the strongest terms the Israeli assaults on Syrian territories."
Additionally, the General Union announced that it is following "with great concern the recent developments in some Arab countries, especially in Yemen, where Yemeni journalists have been targeted for assassination, including the last colleague, Muhammad Shbeita, a member of the leadership of the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate and a member of the General Secretariat of the Arab Journalists Union, who has been the victim of a serious assassination attempt, currently in critical health condition. The Union has decided to continue monitoring this situation closely. In this context, the Union reiterates its firm position supporting legitimacy in Sudan and the Sudanese people, who are facing harsh and dangerous conditions resulting from the ongoing war, which has led to extreme levels of danger, including mass displacement, poverty, and severe shortages of food, health, safety, and stability. The Union calls for an immediate cessation of this war in the context of institutional legitimacy and through a national dialogue among political rivals, affirming its unconditional support for Sudanese journalist colleagues who have paid a high price for fulfilling their national duty, whether through direct targeting to silence their voices or through displacement, displacement, and loss of their jobs and livelihoods. The Union mourns the colleagues who have lost their lives," welcoming "all efforts to support Sudanese journalists, particularly concerning the establishment of a support fund."
The Union also confirms its responsible follow-up on the situations of journalists and the freedoms of the press and expression in Tunisia, demanding the immediate release of detained Tunisian journalists and expressing its complete commitment to the struggles of the National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists, declaring its absolute and unconditional solidarity with it.
The Union reiterated its "firm positions regarding consolidating all aspects of national sovereignty in the Arab countries and their national independence while rejecting all forms and manifestations of separation and fragmentation, affirming its full support for the Moroccan national territorial integrity against any externally supported secessionist conspiracy," emphasizing "the unity of Libya and the independence of its national decisions," and calling for "the necessity of expediting the agreement on a national constitution and establishing representative and executive institutions based on free and fair elections," warning that "the political situation there casts shadows on the conditions of the press and journalists."
On the organizational level, the meeting welcomed the request from the Qatari Journalistic Center to join the Union as a full member, with a preliminary agreement to accept this membership pending approval in the next permanent office meeting. The General Secretariat congratulated the newly elected Arab union leaders at their recent conferences, including the President of the "National Syndicate of Moroccan Journalists," "Tunisian Journalists Syndicate," "Emirati Journalists Association," "Kuwaiti Journalists Association," and "Saudi Journalists Authority." The statement concluded by noting that "the General Secretariat of the Union extended its gratitude and appreciation to the Egyptian Prime Minister, Mr. Mostafa Madbouly, for allocating a new headquarters for the 'General Union of Arab Journalists' in Cairo, in implementation of the directives of His Excellency President of the Republic, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, where procedures for the complete transfer of ownership of this headquarters are currently underway."
