The newspapers issued in Baghdad today, Thursday, the 20th July focus on the call of the head of the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate, Muayyad Al-Lami, to toughen the penalties for drug abuse and promotion, and the controversy surrounding the general amnesty law.
Al-Zawraa newspaper, which issued by the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate, focused on confirming the head of the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate, President of the Arab Journalists Federation, Muayyad Al-Lami, of the danger of drugs to society, and his call on the security and judicial services and parliamentary committees in the legislative authority to tighten penalties for abuse, smuggling and promoting, and for everyone who supplies this pests .
The newspaper quoted Al-Lami as saying, during his attendance at the special dialogue session, “The media is a basic partner in drug control,” organized by the Parliamentary Committee for Drug Control in the House of Representatives: “Drugs are one of the most dangerous pests that threaten society, and they are dangerous poisons with well-known features and weapons,” noting: “There is weakness in the specialized agencies concerned with enforcing the safety zone against this scourge, especially the devices at the borders.”
Al-Lami added: “The weak laws did not limit this phenomenon, but rather made it stronger due to the lack of real accountability for the criminals who supply these poisons to go to children and adolescents who are involved in the process of promotion or selling, and we leave the big heads who perhaps possess power, money and great power. Therefore, all of us, as well as the judiciary, the Ministry of Interior, and the security, must hold the accused who uses drugs accountable for the party from which he bought them, and know the promoter and also hold him accountable in order to reach the big heads.
He went on to say: “The press family appreciates this important initiative organized by the Parliamentary Committee for the first time in Parliament, and we will direct all journalists throughout Iraq not only to educate in order to prevent this phenomenon, but also to report any person suspected of abuse, promotion and smuggling, and we will announce the names, whoever they are after reporting it to the judiciary, even if there were slight doubts about them.
The President of the Journalists Syndicate affirmed: “Our borders are unfortunately weak and open, so I sincerely call on the Ministry of Interior and all security services to be strongly present at all ports, and to bear responsibility, since the neighboring countries have corridors and there are those who promote drugs and smuggle and enter them into Iraq, as I ask all the security and judicial agencies and parliamentary committees in the legislative authority to tighten penalties for abuse, smuggling and promotion, and for anyone who supplies these poisons of drugs, so as the influential message to be clear to society.
Concerning the controversy over the general amnesty law, Al-Zaman newspaper referred to the opinion of a legal expert, that the government’s approach to preparing a draft of the general amnesty law is fulfilling the paper of the political agreement and fairness to the thousands of detainees who were slandered by the secret informant.
Expert Wael Munther said in a statement to the newspaper: “Reformulating the definition of terrorist crime and removing a number of acts from it will lead to the inclusion of a good number of amnesty law procedures, in addition to that there is a basic requirement that the content of the amendment includes the possibility of re-trials for those who were sentenced based on the secret informant.”
He added, “The adoption of the law during the coming period is very important for two reasons. The first is the government’s fulfillment of part of its duty towards the House of Representatives, given that the political agreement paper included reconsidering the anti-terrorism law and amending the amnesty law, and the second is fairness to those against whom harsh sentences were issued because of the provisions contained in the Anti-Terrorism Law, and reviewing these provisions, or is it a ruling just because his name is included in the lists of organizations without having committed any criminal act except for belonging to those who are under the age of majority or in the prime of life at the time of their committing of crimes, stressing that the law will lead to the promotion of harmony community and the reintegration of this group, especially if the law includes realistic and practical policies for the purpose of integrating and rehabilitating them in the psychological and belief aspects.
Source: National Iraqi News Agency