War casualties often extend beyond military occupation, and as communities are devastated, cities are destroyed and social order is compromised, Meedan’s Check Global partner, The Network of the Iraqi Investigative Journalism (NIRIJ) is on a mission to uncover war by other means, whether it is large-scale corruption, discrimination, or forced migration of minority groups. 

For over a decade, NIRIJ has aimed to improve the skills of Iraqi investigative journalists to identify and expose cases of corruption and violations committed against Iraqis. 

Issues raised by NIRIJ investigative journalists include the impact of war on the Iraqi population, underage marriage, harassment of women in the public and government sectors, female circumcision, equality with men and the plight of minority groups like Yazidis, Kaka’i, Christians, Shabak, Sabeans, and dark-skinned people. Their latest series of reports highlighted the plight of these minorities due to violence, discrimination and continuous migration exacerbated by war and political instability in Iraq since 2003. 

In one of its recent investigative reports, NIRIJ also uncovered how militias, political parties and high-profile individuals seized more than 20,000 public and private properties in Mosul, northern Iraq by forging records or forcefully taking hold of them. This large-scale land grab happened in the aftermath of Mosul’s liberation from ISIS militants.

“Many politicians and administrative officials are filing lawsuits against journalists for publishing information implicating them in cases of corruption or negligence. To avoid this, we contact legal experts to vet and review information before publishing investigations. NIRIJ does not rely on rumors and accusations that are not based on evidence (documents, audio or video recordings)”, explains the Editor in Chief, whose name needs to remain anonymous.

Meedan's Check Global first collaboration with NIRIJ was back in 2021 through the NAWA Investigative Fund, which supported them to investigate the theft, vandalism, and excavation of ruins in Iraq’s Nineveh governorate, from the American invasion of Iraq in 2003 to its liberation from the Islamic State in 2017. 

NIRIJ is the first network of investigative journalists in Iraq, founded in 2011. NIRIJ provides financial, editorial, and advisory support for Iraqi investigative journalists across the country, and has been an important grassroots network uncovering and investigating corruption and violations against Iraq’s vulnerable groups – including women and children.

Keep up with NIRIJ’s investigative reports here.