ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Social media live streamers in the Kurdistan Region capital of Erbil have 15 days to register with the province’s police directorate and sign pledges promising to refrain from posting inappropriate content, local authorities announced Tuesday.
Erbil police warned that the use of “inappropriate language, swearing, insulting one another, or publishing inappropriate images and content” on social media platforms is “strictly prohibited under any circumstances.”
It further notified users hosting live streams to “visit the Erbil Governorate Police Directorate within 15 days to set up an official personal file, sign a pledge of commitment, and receive official guidelines,” adding that those who miss the deadline will bear “full legal responsibility under the law.”
Authorities in the Kurdistan Region over the past year have carried out multiple arrest campaigns targeting TikTok users and social media influencers over charges of abusing social media, spreading inappropriate or indecent content, blackmail, and illegal activities.
In February 2025, security forces in Sulaimani arrested 11 social media users for broadcasting content and live streams that left “negative impacts on individuals and families,” their statement read at the time.
Another three users were arrested in Erbil in July 2025 by security forces for similar charges.
The suspects were primarily arrested under the Region’s Law to Prevent the Misuse of Telecommunications Equipment. Convicted suspects could face a maximum sentence of five years and a fine reaching 5 million dinars ( $3,300).
The law has drawn criticism from international human rights monitors who say similar legislation can be used as a pretext to suppress freedom of speech, especially when used against journalists.
A report from the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) - whose mandate ended in September 2025 - and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said that from March 2020 to April 2021, the UN "documented several cases of targeted criminal proceedings initiated against journalists from various media outlets, as well as activists posting on social media who have either reported on anti-government protests or been critical of the Kurdistan Regional authorities."
