ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on Thursday announced a ban on media outlets and social media platforms from reporting on "crime" incidents in the Kurdistan Region, citing individual and public safety concerns.
"No channels or social media pages are allowed to cover or publish images or videos of crime incidents, suspects, or the place and time of crimes," the KRG said in a statement.
The decision was made in response to a request from the Independent Human Rights Commission in the Kurdistan Region (IHRCKR), a governmental body tasked with overseeing human rights issues in the Kurdistan Region.
The Commission said the ban was essential to maintain "public safety and security of individuals and society,” as well as “respect for the legal investigation process and human rights principles."
The KRG statement further cited the Commission as stating that the move was intended to “protect the course of investigation and the psychological and social aspects of people's lives and to prevent the exploitation of events for political and social divisions.”
“Direct and indirect coverage of crimes and suspects should not be allowed.”
The KRG’s decision follows a series of bloody incidents that rocked the Kurdistan Region, particularly in Erbil, in recent months.
In mid-August, graphic CCTV footage of a deadly shooting that occurred at a gas station west of Erbil, went viral. The images showed individuals engaging in an altercation, reportedly over spilled fuel, that escalated into a shooting, leaving three people killed, including Iraqi bodybuilder Hamoudi Riyadh.
The tragic incident sent shockwaves across the Kurdistan Region and Iraq and reignited concerns over the widespread proliferation of firearms.
Despite the KRG’s ongoing efforts to regulate gun ownership, illegal weapons continue to be a persistent security threat. Black markets for firearms - ranging from handguns to sniper rifles and machine guns - remain rampant with an estimated 70 percent of the Region’s population reportedly owning a firearm.
Last year, the KRG’s deadline for gun owners to register their weapons expired.
In 2022, the Kurdistan Region passed a weapons law aimed at tightening control. Article 15 of the law stipulates that “any individual who does not own a license, carries, sells, repairs, or distributes a firearm will be jailed for one to three years and fined between two million to five million dinars (approximately $1,500 to $3,800).”
