Shafaq News – Baghdad

On Wednesday, Iraq’s judiciary issued an arrest warrant for lawmaker Hussein Al-Ankushi, newly elected to parliament under the Reconstruction and Development (Al-Ima’ar wal Tanmiya) Coalition headed by caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, according to an official document.

The order stems from a complaint submitted by a representative of Patriotic Shiite Movement (PSM) supporters, alleging a public insult to a religious sanctity. Judicial authorities based the measure on legal texts that penalize incitement, public offense, and violations involving religious symbols.

Proceedings followed the online circulation of a leaked audio clip attributed to Al-Ankushi, which reportedly includes references to senior Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, PSM leader Muqtada Al-Sadr, and former Popular Mobilization Forces deputy commander Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis.

No response had been issued by Al-Ankushi or his defense team at the time of publication.

The Communications and Media Commission earlier called on outlets to avoid airing or publishing content deemed offensive to religious sanctities, cautioning that such material breaches national regulations. The body pointed to Article 372 of the Penal Code No. 111 of 1969, a Federal Supreme Court ruling prohibiting infringement on the divine entity.

Read more: Acts and unclear legislation: Legal pursuits in Iraq over blasphemy and “immoral content”