By John Lee. The Iraqi Ministry of Communications has announced the lifting of the ban on the Telegram app in Iraq, effective from Sunday 13th August. It said the decision comes in response to directives from the Prime Minister's office, following the application's commitment to security requirements by revealing the sources responsible for leaking citizens' […]
Tag Archives | censorship
Battle over Telegram pits Iraqi PM against 'Resistance' Factions
From Amwaj Media. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Deep Dive: Battle over Telegram pits Iraqi PM against 'resistance' factions The filtering of a popular messaging app in Iraq is threatening to unleash a confrontation between Prime Minister Muhammad Shia' Al-Sudani and […]
Call to reverse Iraqi Media Ban on Terms Homosexuality, Gender
By Amnesty International. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraq: Authorities must immediately reverse media ban on the terms "homosexuality" and "gender" Responding to the directive issued by the Iraqi Communications and Media Commission (CMC) that media outlets must replace the term […]
Iraq blocks Telegram App over National Security concerns
By John Lee. Iraq's Ministry of Communications has blocked the messaging app Telegram, citing concerns relating to national security and "societal peace". In a statement on Facebook, the Ministry also said that the block was "in order to preserve the personal data of citizens," which it says Telegram has mishandled. It adds that the company […]
Draft Laws "threaten" Human Rights in Iraq
By Amnesty International. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraq: Draft laws threaten rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly The Iraqi government has re-introduced two draft laws to the Parliament which, if passed, would severely curtail the rights to freedom […]
Iraqi CMC Draft Regulation of Digital Content in Iraq
By Michael Knights for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraqi CMC Draft Regulation of Digital Content in Iraq The below is a translation of the March 16, 2023 Draft Regulation by the Iraqi Communications […]
Iraq: Cases against Influencers raise Concerns over Freedom
From Amwaj Media. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Cases against social media influencers raise concerns over freedoms in Iraq Iraq's judiciary is issuing arrest warrants and convicting social media stars over allegedly inappropriate content. Reactions to these measures have been divided. […]
Profile: Iraq's Communications and Media Commission (CMC)
By Hamdi Malik and Michael Knights for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Profile: Communications and Media Commission After falling under the control of "resistance"-linked board members, this key Iraqi media institution began a widespread […]
Amnesty: Iraqi Govt must Act on Human Rights
By Amnesty International. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraq: Government must match rhetoric on human rights with meaningful action The new government of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani must break with the failures of past governments related to justice, truth […]
Iraq: Authorities must Cease Crackdown on Free Speech
By John Lee. A group of human rights organisations have expressed their deepest concern regarding the Iraqi authorities' recent campaign to crack down on 'indecent content' online. This crackdown, they say, has a chilling effect and will stifle free speech in the country. The statement, which can be read in full here, is signed by […]
Iraq Falls Further in Human Freedom Index
By John Lee. Iraq has been ranked in 157th place out of 165 countries in the latest Human Freedom Index (HFI). Produced by the Fraser Institute and the Cato Institute, the index presents a broad measure of human freedom, understood as the absence of coercive constraint. This eighth annual index uses 83 distinct indicators of […]
Iraq Freedom of Expression "Significantly Restricted"
By John Lee. Iraq has been ranked in the eighth category (out of ten) in a major new global ranking index tracking the state of free expression. The Index Index, developed by Index on Censorship and experts in machine learning and journalism at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU), uses innovative machine learning techniques to map […]