Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq’s Communications and Media Commission (CMC) issued at least 18 orders barring journalists, analysts, and public figures from media appearances in 2026, a Shafaq News review of the regulator’s published decisions found.

The restrictions accompanied program suspensions, warnings, and fines against broadcasters. Eight measures came within three days between Aug. 17 and 19.

On Aug. 17, the CMC suspended Al-Fallujah TV’s “Hiwar Al-Tasi’a” (The Nine O’Clock Dialogue) for 10 days, barred host Ali Farhan for the same period, and fined the channel 25 million Iraqi dinars (about $19,000). It also ordered the removal of content it deemed “in breach of broadcasting rules” and required an apology.

The regulator cited violations involving “incitement to violence and hatred, accuracy, and integrity” in episodes of “Hiwar Al-Tasi’a” and “Hassad Al-Akhbar” (The News Harvest).

A day later, Al-Rasheed TV’s “Al-Thamina with Ahmed Al-Tayeb” became the focus of another decision. The CMC halted the program for 15 days, kept Al-Tayeb off air for the same period, and warned the channel over an Aug. 12 interview with security expert Ahmed Al-Sharifi, during which it found that the guest’s comments contained “threats, references to weapons, and incitement to violence” and faulted the host for failing to intervene.

The Commission extended its action to Al-Sharifi, barring him from local and foreign outlets operating in Iraq for 90 days after concluding that his remarks “threatened civil peace and public safety.”

Former lawmakers Mishaan Al-Jubouri and Sajjad Salem also received 90-day bans, though for different reasons. The CMC cited Al-Jubouri’s Aug. 12 remarks on “Hiwar Al-Tasi’a” as “sectarian and inciting hatred,” while Salem’s Aug. 19 decision concerned “false information, insults against state institutions, and accusations of links to foreign intelligence agencies.”

Earlier measures affected Bashir Al-Hujaimi, Moayad Al-Juhaishi, Ahmed Mulla Talal, Marwa Hashim, Sajjad Al-Quraishi, and others, alongside television programs and channels.

Legislative Order No. 65 of 2004 and broadcasting regulations underpin the CMC’s authority. Its June 9 guidelines recognize freedom of expression but require broadcasters to distinguish opinion from fact, verify information, and avoid incitement, discrimination, and defamation.

The scale of the measures has sharpened debate over where media regulation ends and restrictions on political expression begin, particularly when concepts such as civil peace, hatred, and national security form the basis for penalties.

For Hadi Jalo Marai, a member of the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate Council, the concern centers on the basic conditions for journalism. “The foundation of journalistic work is freedom of expression and access to information,” he told Shafaq News. With politics and media closely intertwined in Iraq, Marai urged the CMC to pursue “partnership and cooperation rather than monitoring and prohibition.”

Ahmed Al-Tayeb took a different approach. While acknowledging the Commission’s authority and complying with his suspension, the “Al-Thamina” host pointed to public surprise over being penalized for failing to intervene in a guest’s comments.

Political researcher Khalid Al-Ardawi focused on the broader implications for public debate. A state governed by law, he argued, requires room for competing views on public affairs, warning that turning the CMC into a body that “hunts” for opinions differing from those of officials could “silence voices” and impede democratic development.

Read more: New era of control: Can Iraq's free press survive its rulers?

Iraq’s Constitution provides another dimension to the debate. Article 38 protects freedom of expression and of the press, media, and publication, subject to public order and morality; Article 42 covers freedom of thought, conscience, and belief.

How those guarantees interact with older legislation and broadly worded restrictions has drawn criticism from rights groups. The Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights called in December 2025 for clearer definitions of terms such as “political system” and “public order,” arguing that vague definitions allow authorities to restrict free expression. It also opposed the use of Penal Code provisions that rights groups say are frequently used to pursue critics and limit speech.

Journalists and activists have also faced arrests and legal proceedings over social media posts and criticism of officials, including cases brought under Article 403 of the Penal Code, which covers content deemed contrary to public morals.

Iraq ranks 162nd out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders’ 2026 World Press Freedom Index, down from 155th in 2025.

Read more: Iraq's press freedom falls amid record violations