Journalistic Freedoms Observatory (JFO) decries the decision of Babylon province media office banning some satellite channels reporters to cover a conference on cholera outbreak in the province.

Haider al-Badry, al-Hurra channel reporter in Babylon, told the JFO that he and some other reporters were banned to attend the conference held in Babylon health office and attended by the deputy of health minister and the general inspector about the out break of cholera in the province. Head of the health office Mahmood Abdul Ridha sent his aide to let journalists enter the hall but he was badly treated by the guards at the entrance of the gate.

He added that the journalists disputed with the security elements that beat the camera men of al-Hurra and al-Hurriya channels Saif al-Ubaidi and Fadhil al-keraawi.

Thamer al-Moosawi, al-Mesar channel correspondent, said that Babylon media office manager called him and informed him not to attend the conference.

Moosawi attributed his banning to attend the conference to the report he made about the outbreak of cholera in Babylon in general and in al-Hashimiya area in specific in which he announced the statement of the provincial council Hassan Toofan to have the health office manager Mahmood Abdul Ridha resigned.

Some journalists and media men in Babylon informed the JFO that they were banned to attend the conference because they widely covered the outbreak of cholera in the province.

Babylon provincial council member, head of services committee Hassan al-Toofan has earlier said that the ministry ordered not to give statements to the journalists and to ban them entering the hospitals.

JFO denounces the decisions of the ministry in which it urges its offices in Babylon to release no statement about the disease and to ban the journalists entering the hospitals to cover this catastrophe.