Alhurra-Iraq Reports Making an Impact
Two families’ lives have changed forever, thanks to recent reports on Alhurra-Iraq.
In one story, Alhurra-Iraq examined the living conditions in juvenile rehabilitation centers in Baghdad, and spoke with Wissam, a teenager who had been in the detention center for four years. A few day after that report aired, a man came to Alhurra-Iraq’s Baghdad Bureau explaining that he is Wissam’s father and that he had been searching for him for years. Wissam and his father were reunited and the father is now petitioning the court to retain custody of Wissam.
A second report by Alhurra-Iraq profiled Ali and Sura. Ali was a police officer who was blinded in a suicide bomber attack on a Shia’a mosque in Diyala province. Hi fiance Sura insisted they follow through with the wedding, despite his injuries. During their interview, the couple spoke out about their financial difficulties and explained that the government had completely neglected Ali’s need for medical attention.
Within hours of airing the report, the Iraqi Ministry of Health contacted Alhurra-Iraq’s Baghdad office and pledged to get Ali the medical help he needed at the Ministry’s expense. The Iraqi Journalist Syndicate also stepped up and announced that they would award Sura 5 million Iraqi Dinars (approximately $4300) and a monthly stipend to take care of Ali.