ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s Communications and Media Commission (CMC) banned a political commentator and a politician on Sunday from appearing on Iraqi television for “inciting violence” and alleged violation of Iraq’s broadcast media regulations.
Entifadh Qanbar, a former Iraqi politician and president of the US-based Future Foundation Washington, was banned for “inciting violence and hate” and an alleged failure to adhere to “accuracy, integrity, and transparency in transferring information,” a statement from the commission said.
“As well as for violating the law of criminalizing normalization [of relations] with the Zionist entity Number (1) for the year 2022, through his promotion of the Zionist entity and support, [and] encourage its policies and actions,” added the statement.
Qanbar responded to the ban by posting on X, saying that his criticism of Iran-backed militias, timed with his support for US presidential candidate Donald Trump, angered Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
“I have been a strong critic of Iran and their proxy militias in Iraq for many years, but why now?” he asked, adding, “I have been active campaigning in President Trump’s campaign, and my support for President Trump clearly outraged the IRGC and their minions in Iraq.”
In a separate statement, the CMC also banned Sunni politician Thair al-Bayati for allegedly violating the same two regulations.
Bayati, head of the Iraq Rescue Front for Freedom and Peace, accused the regulatory body of targeting him for speaking up for the Sunni ethnic group, saying on X that from the government’s perspective, demanding the implementation of the constitution and the law equates to “incitement of violence and hatred.”
In April, the CMC banned political analyst Bashir al-Hujaimi for six months for “proposing content in the media that violates the media broadcasting regulations.” His words breached state broadcasting regulations against “decency, morals, and public taste,” according to the CMC, as well as for speaking “false and invalid materials.”
Hujaimi had said during a broadcast on the al-Rasheed that the highest rate of homosexuality in Iraq is in Najaf, a sacred city for Shiite Muslims. In a video on his X, Hujaimi denied that he had disrespected the city, adding that he merely stated the truth.
“I am a son of Najaf,” he said. “Najaf does not need me to bring it down because it is a holy city. [It is holy] with its scholars and original inhabitants.”
Iraq ranks 169th out of 180 countries the world in press freedom, the Paris-based media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reported for 2024.
“Iraq’s media are closely linked to its political parties, which control their editorial policies,” RSF noted. Regarding legal protections, it said: “In theory, Iraq’s constitution guarantees press freedom, but some of its articles are contradicted by current laws…”
