http://www.salon.com/news/wire/2004/03/28/iraqi_paper/index.html

March 28, 2004 *|* BAGHDAD (AP) -- The U.S.-led coalition on Sunday shut down a weekly newspaper run by followers of a hardline Shiite Muslim cleric, saying its articles were increasing the threat of violence against occupation forces.

Hours after the closure of Al-Hawza, more than 1,000 supporters of cleric Muqtada al-Sadr demonstrated peacefully in front of the newspaper's offices, decrying what they called a crackdown on freedom of expression.

Dozens of U.S. soldiers arrived at the Al-Hawza newspaper offices Sunday morning and closed its doors with chains and locks, sheik Abdel-Hadi Darraja said in front of the one-story house.

Darraja is a representative of al-Sadr, who lives in the southern holy city of Najaf and has been an outspoken critic of the U.S.-led occupation, but has not called for armed attacks.
This certainly does not bode well for real democracy coming to Iraq.
What kind of democratic government would shut down a newspaper for criticizing it? If they want to claim that this was necessary to prevent violence against troops, then they need to stop claiming that they're close to turning Iraq over to an Iraq government.
How can anyone believe that the country's population is by and large grateful to the US, well on its way to being rebuilt, and almost ready for a transition of power from the military governor to a democratic Iraqi government, and at the same time believe that its so unstable and the people so angry that freedom to criticize the government is a threat to the occupying forces?

buddy
that newspaper is inciting the population to attack coalition forces.
in that kind of environment, fuck freedom of press!

even if you look at the legal side of this... it's not a democracy yet

edit:
ok, you know what, how about you send an e-mail to your friend's work e-mail address, suggesting you "kill some cops"

at best, he'll get fired. at worst, he'll get arrested.
if The Toronto Star here published something like "attack cops and military installations", they'd be shut down in a second, even in this beautiful Canadian democracy of ours

They were inciting the population to attack coalition forces? Source? The coalition claimed that their articles were designed to incite violence, but didn't provide any actual examples of this.

otheadp,
The only reference in the article to attacking coaltion forces is this one:
In July, the coalition announced the closure of a Baghdad newspaper and the arrest of its office manager. The statement said Al-Mustaqila, which means "The Independent" in Arabic, published an article on July 13 calling for "death to all spies and those who cooperate with the U.S." It said killing them was a religious duty.

reffering to a different paper that was closed down in July.

even in the US democracy, the inciment of a riot is against the law. You can't shout "FIRE!" in a crowded theater, despite freedom of speech.

If the paper was calling for the killing of "spies and those who cooperate with the US," then it would be fined/shut down in the US too. If it suggested "suspission and distrust of US-allied individuals", then their wouldn't be a problem.

How often do you see the NY Times calling for the murder of someone? never. why? if they did, they'd be in trouble.


edit: I mis-read the above post. Some sort of evidence of a direct call for violence would be nice in this case.

BBC, CNN, Fox News and dozens of others.. so called democratic & civilized press. Have been publishing tons of
articles on Saddam’s Weapons of Mass Destruction and advance programs, even at a point, informing the public
that Saddam could have BioWMD in a matter of weeks.
….They excited the primitive masses to open the gates of war.

Did any one shut down those News networks???

What planet are you from? Here, only Americans and their proxies are entitled to amass WMDs. Only Americans and their proxies may justly talk or act belligerently. The Press is free, but some press is more free than others. Read more New York Post, watch more Fox News, listen to more Rush Limbaugh, and your doubt will proportionately fade, and your comfort increase, until your re-education is blissfully complete. You will come to understand that the press is entirely free to incite pure, righteous American Force, for it is the Light Unto All Nations.

At first this may seem difficult to accept, but cultivating the New American Brain requires scrupulous and repetitive washing: Lather, rinse, repeat- Lather, rinse, repeat. With us or against us- With us or against us... etc. etc...