Blair presses Iraq over press freedom

LONDON (AFP) – Tony Blair pressed Iraqi leaders Thursday to uphold media freedoms which Britain "fought for," after the Guardian's correspondent was fined for reporting criticism of Iraq's prime minister.

The former premier, who controversially backed the US-led 2003 invasion to oust Saddam Hussein, told the Guardian newspaper that he was following the case involving its Baghdad correspondent.

"We fought for freedom in Iraq including freedom of the press. Often what the press says is harsh or unfair," he said in an emailed statement.

"But that freedom is essential and must be upheld. So while I may not always agree with what the Guardian write I do hope that when the case goes to appeal the courts will follow due process in accordance with the Iraqi constitution."

An Iraqi court this month upheld a complaint of defamation for describing Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki as increasingly autocratic, and ordered the Guardian to pay him 100 million dinars (52,000 pounds).

The court supported a complaint by Maliki's intelligence service against the newspaper over the article written in April by its local Iraqi reporter Ghaith Abdul-Ahad.

The article quoted unnamed members of the Iraqi national intelligence service who claimed that the prime minister was beginning to run Iraqi affairs with an authoritarian hand.

Maliki's office denied any responsibility for the lawsuit and said it was the intelligence services that sued the paper "because it quoted three of its officers."

BBC head of global news Richard Sambrook reiterated concern over the case.

"Freedom of speech and free media are essential to a strong civil society. Legal action against political criticism is a very disturbing development," he told the Guardian.

Blair, who became Middle East Quartet envoy after leaving office in 2007, is expected to appear in January before a long-awaited public inquiry which began this week into Britain's role in the Iraq war.