The Journalist Fighting for Iraq’s Democratic Future
A fearless voice on Iraqi television, Hussam al-Haj is challenging militias, corrupt parties, and the slow death of democracy, even as threats to his life mount.
Hussam al-Haj has become one of Iraq’s most recognizable television anchors and one of its most outspoken defenders of democracy. Sitting down for an exclusive interview with Middle East Uncovered, al-Haj offered a rare look into the personal journey that shaped his political views, the pressures facing Iraq’s civil society, and his hopes for the country’s future.
Born and raised in Baghdad, Hussam comes from a family with deep ties to journalism. His grandfather and uncle were pioneering figures in Iraq’s media landscape. His late uncle, Khudhair, was the first Iraqi journalist and photographer to work for a Western English-language channel, World Television News (WTN), and later headed the Associated Press bureau in Iraq until his untimely death during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He recalls accompanying his uncle to Baghdad’s historic Al-Rashid Hotel, once a hub for foreign correspondents, and later to the press center in Al-Salihiya. “Through these visits, I met prominent journalists and foreign correspondents whom I had only seen on TV or read in newspapers,” he says. His uncle’s passion and candid mentorship instilled in him the belief that “words can change reality.” That early influence was the first reason he fell in love with the profession.
While his family’s work exposed him to journalism from a young age, al-Haj insists his political consciousness was shaped by events, not inheritance.
The turning point, he says, came with the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Al-Haj initially embraced the change, seeing in it an opportunity to build a democratic future:
“I was passionate about the development of democracy in Iraq,” he recalls. “But I witnessed its distortion, especially from the religious movements that belong to political Islam.”
Choosing this career has not come without family tension. “I’ve often heard the phrase, ‘Enough, don’t wear yourself out anymore,’” al-Haj admits. His family, aware of the risks, sometimes urges him to step back. Yet they ultimately support him because they know journalism is not just his job but, in his words, “a belief and a mission.”
A typical day for al-Haj begins before coffee, with a rapid scan of breaking news and political analysis. The hours that follow are spent editing scripts, drafting sharp questions, rewriting introductions, and fact-checking sources. “I always strive to have either a scoop or a unique perspective,” he explains. Security threats and political pressure are constant companions. But he treats them as part of the game:
“Journalism here requires constant mental and emotional readiness to deliver content that is both bold and professional.”
That boldness has earned him not only a following but also lawsuits accusing him of “incitement.” Al-Haj is blunt about the stakes:
“Many laws are exploited as weapons to silence any inconvenient voice. The lawsuits filed against me were a clear message: ‘Stop talking.’ But words are more powerful than any weapon—otherwise, the authorities wouldn’t fear them so much.”
His career has taken him across major Iraqi networks, including Alhurra, Alsumaria, and Al-Taghyeer. Each was independent in theory, but always with limits:
“Independence in Iraqi media is very relative. Most channels are tied to political parties or powerful actors, which means professionalism becomes hostage to political power. Alhurra gave me broader freedom, but my time at Alsumaria was the most profound because it came after years of experience and maturity. Overall, Iraqi media is heavily financed by political money, making it part of the propaganda machinery—misleading public opinion more than enlightening it.”
Today, through his show on Al-Sumariya TV, he critiques Iraq’s ruling parties and highlights the dangers of a system increasingly dominated by armed factions and sectarian interests.
He grapples with forces that want to censor him every day. Certain files are marked with “red lines,” either by management or by political actors. Sometimes stories must be postponed, reframed, or told indirectly. “A smart journalist knows how to get around censorship,” he explains. “But honestly, the list of taboos in Iraq is very long, and it often forces us to rely more on symbolism or implication rather than direct speech.”
For al-Haj, the root of Iraq’s crisis is not a lack of nationalism, quite the opposite. He argues that the overwhelming majority of Iraqis, nearly 80%, reject the current political process because they see it as hijacked by militias and corrupt parties.
Al-Haj is particularly alarmed by what he calls a familiar global pattern: democracies sliding into authoritarianism.
“Iraq is in the final stage of gagging voices,” he warns. “The parties ruling today have turned democracy into a tool for authoritarian control. Hitler and the Nazis used democratic means to come to power. America gave us democracy, but not democratic institutions. Even the parties here do not practice internal democracy. Their leaders stay for life, and each one commands an armed militia.”
Yet al-Haj is cautiously optimistic given the emergence of a younger generation of politicians. Though constrained by entrenched parties, he believes they could play a role in reshaping the future—if they can resist being co-opted:
“Yes, there are promising young talents, but most are suppressed under the weight of traditional parties. The hope is there, but it needs an environment that protects them from being co-opted or politically eliminated.”
His own vision of democracy is reasonably straightforward, born out of years of witnessing the Iraqi people being taken advantage of and sidelined amid Iranian influence and interests:
“I imagine an Iraq where citizens live with dignity, where they can access electricity, water, healthcare, and education without favoritism or connections. Democracy means the citizen feels their voice matters in their daily life: in schools, in hospitals, on the streets.”
Despite the turbulence of his work, al-Haj finds ways to recharge. Sports offer him a release from stress, and writing outside of politics helps him breathe beyond the noise. Baghdad itself, he says, remains a place of belonging. “Even in its chaos, there are corners that give me calm.” Ultimately, it is family that anchors him:
“They are the true refuge, the anchor that brings me back to being a normal human being after all the turmoil and tension this profession creates.”
Being so outspoken has made al-Haj a target. Recently, a rumor circulated on X claiming he had been assassinated as a way to try to intimidate him. Implying the rumor could become reality. He brushed it off as just another attempt to spread fear:
“This is childish behavior from the electronic armies of the parties. I’ve been threatened many times before. I even had to leave Iraq for periods to stay safe. But I’ve learned to tell which threats are real.”
For al-Haj, the risks are the price of defending free expression in a corrupt and Iranian-co-opted nation state. He still calls the 2005 constitution one of the most liberal in the Middle East, but argues its promise will remain unrealized until political elites stop violating it. “The problem is not the constitution,” he argues. “The problem is a ruling elite that violates it and lacks legitimacy. Until we have truly democratic parties and institutions, Iraq will remain in the grip of oligarchs.”
By continuing to broadcast dissent, Hussam al-Haj keeps alive the possibility of a more democratic Iraq free of Iran’s suffocating grip. In spite of the threats, harassment, and even killings of journalists, his presence on air is proof that Iraq’s fight for democracy is unfinished, and that some remain committed to seeing it through.
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