When Haider al-Abadi took over as prime minister of Iraq in 2014, he lifted bans on media outlets that had been shuttered under the former administration. The move was seen as an attempt to heal the rift between a nation that had been divided for too long.
Less than two years later, press freedom appears to be in decline once again. Iraq's Communications and Media Commission (CMC) appears to be going back on its word as satire shows, international news outlets and online news websites are being systematically shut down.
Critics say silencing the media is the government's way of dodging tough questions about political turmoil and the threat of ISIL - an ever-growing threat in Iraq that continues to step up its attacks in the capital.
International journalist protection committees and local reporters alike see the breakdown in media freedom as a means to 'impose a single voice' in reporting on Iraq.
The question that arises, however, is whether this is for the protection of the Iraqi people or the al-Abadi government.
Talking us through the story are: Rafid Jaboori, former spokesperson for the Iraqi PM; Ibrahim al-Marashi, assistant professor at California State University; Amal al-Jubouri, founder of Arab Human Rights Academy; and Ali al-Khalidi, presenter at Al Iraqiya TV.
