Baghdad: one arrested for raising former regime flag

Shafaq News/ On Monday, a man was arrested for raising the flag of the former Iraqi regime over his house in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, a security source told Shafaq News.

The man was arrested in the Somer neighborhood, central Baghdad, according to the source revealing that the man was taken into custody for questioning to determine his motives and whether any party was behind the act.

In December 2024, four people were arrested in the Al-Anbar province for raising the same flag during national celebrations.

Raising the former Iraqi flag, which was used during Saddam Hussein’s regime, is considered illegal in Iraq. The flag, which featured three stars, was replaced in 2004 following the fall of Hussein's government, and the new flag became the official symbol of the country.

The prohibition is enshrined in Article 7 of the Iraqi Constitution of 2005, which bans the Iraqi Ba'ath Party and its symbols, including the old flag. The Iraqi Penal Code further criminalizes the display of the old flag, viewing it as an act of support for the former regime's ideologies.