At a Glance

• The Iraqi government ordered a crackdown on Monday.
• All state institutions must file criminal complaints.
• Penalties apply to media incitement and weapon obstruction.
• Unauthorized weapon support falls under anti-terrorism laws.
• Violators face the same penalties as primary perpetrators.

The Iraqi government has ordered all state institutions to file criminal complaints against media incitement and unauthorized firearm support, warning that violating state weapon controls falls under the nation's Anti-Terrorism Law and carries penalties as severe as those for primary perpetrators.

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Key statements and Focus Area

• The Iraqi PM Media Office stated that “in order to preserve social peace and enable the state to fulfill its legal and moral duties and responsibilities, the government requires all its institutions to enforce the law and file criminal complaints against anyone who engages in, participates in, or contributes to incitement through the media, or obstructs state decisions to bring weapons under the exclusive control of the state.”
• The statement noted that the government affirms constitutional and legal guarantees for freedom of opinion, expression, and media work.

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The office of Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi, in a statement on Monday, noted that public freedoms must be exercised in accordance with the law, respecting public order and citizens’ rights.

The office stressed that freedoms must not be used to incite violence, support weapons outside state authority, or back outlawed groups.

The statement emphasized that the legal orders to prosecute media incitement and weapon control obstruction must strictly align with the Iraqi Constitution and Articles 2 and 4 of the 2005 Anti-Terrorism Law.

“In this regard, the esteemed Supreme Judicial Council has affirmed that the use of weapons, support for their use, or brandishing them outside the framework of the state falls under the provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Law,” the statement added.

Under the law, the penalties imposed on those who incite, finance, or contribute to terrorist acts may extend to those prescribed for the principal perpetrators.

According to the statement, Article 195 of the Iraqi Penal Code penalizes inciting internal strife, while Articles 81, 82, and 83 hold media figures criminally liable if their published content threatens societal security.

The office of the Prime Minister highlighted that the government is utilizing these legal measures to fulfill its duties to safeguard civil peace and maintain internal security and stability.

The administration further noted that these steps uphold citizens’ right to protection against disinformation and deliberate slander, ensuring they are afforded the full protection of the law against "falsehoods and anything that threatens Iraq’s security."

FYI

The directive follows an ongoing initiative by Prime Minister Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi’s administration to disarm non-state armed groups and establish exclusive state authority over weapons.

This policy intensified after September 30, a date the Iraqi government set to mark the conclusion of the U.S.-led Coalition's military mission, after which al-Zaidi declared that autonomous armed factions no longer had a justification to maintain arms. 

To enforce this transition, Iraq's governing coalition and the Supreme Judicial Council agreed in August 2026 that any unauthorized armed activity, drone possession, or weapon support would be prosecuted under the Anti-Terrorism Law No. 13 of 2005.

The state enforcement measures are being deployed amid heightened domestic tensions, as prominent armed factions have publicly warned that a forced disarmament campaign could trigger widespread civil strife.

Consequently, the administration is treating media incitement and coordinated disinformation as direct threats to national stability, given the substantial influence these groups wield over local media networks. 

By applying the Penal Code and anti-terrorism legislation to media output, the government seeks to legally restrict the use of public platforms for mobilizing resistance against its weapon-control policies.

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