Iraqi minister claims defamation attempts against him funded by detractors

Iraqi Minister of Transport, Kadhim al-Hammami, on Monday claimed “some hired politicians and media professionals” are targeting his reputation by creating fake social media accounts using his name and called the alleged perpetrators “monkeys.”

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi Minister of Transport, Kadhim al-Hammami, on Monday claimed “some hired politicians and media professionals” are targeting his reputation by creating fake social media accounts using his name and called the alleged perpetrators “monkeys.”

Hammami’s words came after a post, attributed to the minister, spread on social media sites asking users to evaluate his performance in the past four years and whether they want to him to continue his duties and retain his role in the new government.

This comes at a time when Prime Minister-designate, Adil Abdul-Mahdi, said he has opened the doors for politicians to apply to become members of his cabinet.

In the past ten days, fake accounts have posted “in the name of Minister of Transport, Kadhim Finjan al-Hammami, on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other [social media site],” with the intention of “harming the Minister of Transport,” the official said in a statement posted on the Ministry’s website.

He then claimed that they had “informed the media and regulatory bodies,” which allegedly revealed that “some politicians and some paid media personalities were behind the funding and management of these exposed [fake accounts].” The statement noted that Hammami had not personally been registered to some of the sites.

The minister then boasted the alleged entities behind the attacks on his character had “exposed themselves,” calling them “monkeys.”

Hammami did not elaborate any further and did not name those who reportedly targeted him.

Last month, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the most authoritative Shia cleric in Iraq, issued a statement that none of “the politicians who have been in authority in the past years” should become prime minister, because, “most of the people” have lost hope that they would achieve “the aims of improving their conditions and fighting corruption.”

Editing by Nadia Riva