Authorities have arrested the head of media relations at the police department for Iraq's Dhi Qar province after he wrote articles critical of the government, a local media watchdog said on Monday.
The Journalistic Freedom Observatory said in a statement that Colonel Murtadha al-Shahtour was arrested Sunday, "after publishing articles criticising the government on security issues and services."
Akram al-Tamimi, the watchdog's representative in the Dhi Qar capital of Nassiriyah in southern Iraq, said in the statement that Shahtour had published his articles in different publications and websites, including Kitabat.com.
"Shahtour's arrest came as a result of some of his writings published in Azzaman newspaper and some websites. Politicians were behind the arrest to stop his criticism," he charged.
Local officials were not immediately available for comment.
Shahtour was the media director for the provincial police, and editor of its magazine.
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