Government orders legal action against media incitement backing weapons outside state

BAGHDAD — The Iraqi government on Monday ordered state institutions to file criminal complaints against anyone who uses media to incite violence or internal fighting, support weapons outside state control or back outlawed groups.

Freedom of opinion, expression and the media is protected by the constitution and the law, but “these freedoms must be exercised within the Iraqi public sphere in accordance with the law, with due respect for public order and citizens’ rights,” the Prime Minister’s Media Office said, and must not be used to “incite violence or internal fighting, support the use of weapons outside state authority, or support outlawed groups.” Institutions should pursue complaints against anyone inciting through the media or working to obstruct state decisions on bringing weapons under government control, it said.

The statement cited Articles 2 and 4 of the Anti-Terrorism Law No. 13 of 2005 and the Supreme Judicial Council’s position that using, supporting or displaying weapons outside state authority falls under that law, adding that those who incite, finance or contribute to terrorist acts can face the same penalties as the perpetrators. It also cited Article 195 of the Penal Code, on inciting citizens to take up arms against one another, and Articles 81 to 83, which make those involved in publishing content that constitutes a crime threatening public security, or encourages one, criminally liable. “Through these legal measures, the government is fulfilling its duties to safeguard civil peace and maintain internal security and stability,” it said.

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s timetable sets a 90-day halt to attacks from Sept. 30, followed by a gradual six-month handover of weapons ending June 30, 2027. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq said on Sept. 30 that its four factions were not bound by any government or political deadline and would keep their weapons until they verified that U.S., NATO and other foreign forces had fully withdrawn, and Ashab al-Kahf rejected handing over its arms and threatened a military response to any continued foreign presence. Kataib Hezbollah praised last week’s Houthi strike on Riyadh’s airport and dismissed the government’s condemnation of it as “discordant voices.”