Independent Iraqi organisation Eco Iraq has expressed concerns over terms in the country's draft Cybercrime Law, which it said contains overly vague language that could be exploited to imprison people and would impose severe penalties on people found guilty of spreading misinformation online.
Iraqi lawmakers are expected on Monday to hold the first reading of the bill, which is aimed at combatting cybercrime, protecting people's privacy, and clamping down on online hate speech.
The 32-article law would impose various financial penalties depending on the offence. These include fines for violating personal privacy by taking photos or recordings without consent, as well as a 35 million dinar fine ($22,000) for publishing false information with the intent of undermining confidence in the financial system.
The law contains other penalties that may reach up to life imprisonment.
In a statement on Saturday, Eco Iraq warned that the bill contains ambiguous language and creates overlapping authority between different government bodies such as the media authority and national security agencies.
Eco Iraq is an independent research organisation focused on analysis of government policy and the economy. Legal and human rights concerns Rights activist Ali Habib told The New Arab that the proposed law raises legal and human rights concerns. The vague wording could allow broad interpretations that could be used to restrict free speech online and limit access to information, he said.
He argued that combating cybercrime is necessary to protect digital security, but stressed that "legislation should strike a balance between prosecuting genuine crime and safeguarding constitutionally protected rights such as freedoms of expression and the press."
"Any penalties should be proportionate to the nature of the crime, and legal provisions should be drafted in precise and clear language to prevent their misuse or exploitation, and allow for media and human rights groups to make legitimate criticisms on digital platforms," he added.
According to Habib, many international rights groups have already raised alarm over the draft law, calling for it to be reversed to ensure it complies with human rights laws and standards. He said that any legislation in the digital space should only come after broad discussions, including experts from law, tech, cybersecurity, media, and civil society sectors. The controversial law has been on the legislative agenda since 2018. It has faced widespread opposition from civil society activists and bloggers, who have called for amendments to several of its provisions, which they say are too broad, open to interpretation and could curb free speech rights.
The bill was first drafted in 2011 but has been repeatedly revised amid pushback from local rights groups and international NGOs.
In 2023, Amnesty International criticised a previous iteration of the bill, which it said would "severely curtail" free speech and the right to freedom of assembly.