Shafaq News – Baghdad
An Iraqi court sentenced a man in Baghdad to ten years in prison for promoting the banned Baath Party online, the Supreme Judicial Council said on Monday.
Al-Karkh Criminal Court found the defendant guilty of sharing digital materials that glorified the outlawed party, dissolved after the 2003 fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime, in violation of Article 9 of Law No. 32 of 2016, which prohibits Baathist and extremist activities.
The ruling comes as Iraq intensifies enforcement of de-Baathification laws ahead of the November 11 parliamentary elections. The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) has already barred dozens of candidates over alleged Baathist affiliations, citing vetting procedures under the same legal framework that bans former regime members from political participation.
Read more: Iraq’s Elections under the Shadow of De-Baathification