Iraq media regulator bars ex-lawmaker for 90 days

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq’s Communications and Media Commission on Wednesday barred former lawmaker Sajjad Salem from appearing on local and foreign media outlets operating in Iraq for 90 days.

In a statement, the commission based its decision on remarks Salem made during Authority Dialogue with Naseer al-Awam, a program aired by Samarra TV on August 18. It accused him of “broadcasting false and misleading information,” “insulting state institutions,” and “questioning the loyalty of national state institutions and accusing them of working for foreign intelligence agencies.”

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The commission said several Iraqi state institutions, including the Iraqi National Security Service, the Iraqi National Intelligence Service and the Communications and Media Commission, had joined the Starlink project under government supervision.

It found that Salem’s remarks violated Iraq’s media broadcasting regulations, citing provisions that prohibit incitement to violence and hatred and the dissemination of false information, while requiring accuracy, integrity and transparency in news reporting.

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