The Federal Foreign Office has sponsored an Iraqi journalist with links to the Iranian mullah regime. Around 250,000 euros went to the left-wing ‘taz Panter Foundation’ for the ‘Her Turn’ project, reports the newspaper Die Welt. Hiba Elmajid then appeared on World Press Freedom Day on May 3, 2022 in a video produced by Annalena Baerbock’s (Green Party) ministry as an example of sponsored female journalists.
In it, she explained how dangerous her profession was in Iraq. Women in particular were being blackmailed and slandered, said Elmajid. According to research by Die Welt, however, she is someone who has been around. Before the project started in 2020, Elmajid worked regularly for Al-Ghadeer TV and Al-Nujaba TV. Both broadcasters are accused by US intelligence services of having links to Iran’s Islamist Revolutionary Guard.
The German Federal Foreign Office told the newspaper: ‘As far as the Federal Foreign Office is aware, Ms Elmajid ended her freelance work for the two media mentioned before the start of the project and is not currently working there.’ In addition, the selection was made by the ‘taz Panter Foundation’ and the project funding has now been completed.
The left-wing foundation defended the decision in favour of Elmajid with her background. The aim had been to ‘broaden both her journalistic and personal horizons’. She had been employed as a freelancer, had only reported on regional and social issues and had stopped working at the start of the project.
However, the Welt research unit found numerous contributions by Elmajid for the two Islamist broadcasters during the project period. She also commented on current politics in private posts on social networks – often with clear anti-American and anti-Israeli messages.
After the end of the project, Elmajid once again appeared on Al-Ghadeer TV as a journalist. Equipped with a black headscarf, Palestine scarf and microphone, she reported on the ‘Al-Aqsa Call Conference’ in Karbala. The conference called for a fight against ‘the criminal Zionist entity’.
According to the ‘taz Panter Foundation’, Elmajid worked for the broadcaster again for ‘economic reasons’. She has since been dismissed due to her international contacts, which she also made during the project.