Members of the Defense of Free Expression Coalition deliver a statement calling for protections for free speech and an end to the use of outdated penal code articles during a press briefing in Baghdad.
Rights coalition says Iraq is ‘testing’ free speech, urges end to Saddam-era laws
BAGHDAD — The Defense of Free Expression Coalition said Wednesday that Iraq is at a critical moment for public freedoms, warning that free expression and journalism are being tested and calling for reforms to prevent the use of old laws against activists and media workers.
The coalition said it has documented a growing reliance on “laws inherited from previous eras,” including articles of the penal code issued under Saddam Hussein, describing them as tools once used “to suppress and intimidate society” that should have no place in a constitutional system that guarantees rights.
While criticizing the legal framework, the group expressed confidence in the courts, saying it views the judiciary as “the institution capable of regulating public performance and preventing any violation of individual rights.” It urged the Supreme Judicial Council and judicial authorities to stop using “obsolete penal code articles that conflict with the Iraqi constitution and modern human rights principles.”
The coalition acknowledged the challenges of misinformation and online manipulation and said it supports fair accountability for those who deliberately spread fabricated or harmful content. However, it stressed that efforts to counter false information “must not become a pretext to restrict freedoms, limit legitimate criticism, or pursue political opposition, activists, and journalists.”
It called on authorities and political forces to review the continued use of laws enacted under non-democratic systems, ensure peaceful criticism is not criminalized and open channels with civil society while drafting any legislation related to freedoms.
In its closing statement, the coalition said it defends Iraqis’ rights “to speak, criticize, protest, and object without fear or threat,” while rejecting “digital chaos and deception.” It urged accountability through a “fair and balanced legal approach that does not turn into suppression of opinion or a political weapon.”