We, the undersigned organizations, express our deepest concern regarding the Iraqi authorities’ recent campaign to crack down on “indecent content” online. This crackdown has a chilling effect and will stifle free speech in the country. Between 10 January of this year when the authorities announced the start of this campaign and 13 February, the judge at the Third Investigative Court in Al-Karkh specialized in media and publishing issues announced that the courts had charged 14 people for publishing “indecent” or “immoral” content on social media, and already sentenced six of those individuals to prison terms ranging between six months to two years.
