The Iraqi Communications and Media Commission has issued a package of decisions and legal measures against several media institutions and figures, following violations monitored by the Media Regulatory Bureau related to breaches of broadcasting rules and the established professional standards, particularly concerning accuracy, integrity, and transparency in conveying information, and avoiding false and misleading materials.
According to the official letters issued by the commission on November 11, 2026, based on the powers granted to it under Legislative Order No. (65) of 2004 as amended by Order No. (100) of 2004, the decisions include imposing financial fines and official warnings, as well as measures related to banning media appearances.
Among the most notable of these decisions, the commission imposed a financial fine of five million Iraqi dinars on one media entity for violating the list of violations of media institutions operating in Iraq, obligating it to correct its legal status by removing the violating media content and issuing an official apology within five days from the day following the date of notification.
The commission also issued an official warning to Zaidoun Al-Salamani, based on the content of a media material published on his personal Facebook page, which, according to the letter, included violations related to false and invalid materials, as well as breaching accuracy, integrity, and transparency in conveying information.
The commission required the individual to remove the published content and submit an official apology through his personal page within five days, along with taking the necessary legal actions in accordance with the list of violations of media institutions operating in Iraq.
In another decision, the commission imposed a fine of ten million Iraqi dinars on Rudaw TV due to violations monitored by the Media Regulatory Bureau in several materials published across its digital platforms, which the commission deemed in violation of Articles (2) and (4) of the broadcasting rules related to false and invalid materials, and accuracy, integrity, and transparency in conveying information. The channel was also required to remove the violating materials from its digital platforms and issue an official apology within five days from the date of the decision.
In a related context, the commission issued a decree No. (128) banning the media appearance of Mr. Haitham Al-Khazali in all local and foreign media operating in Iraq for thirty days, starting from the date of issuance of the decree, following statements he made during his appearance on the program "With Yasser Amer," which was broadcast on Al-Rasheed TV, and which the commission considered a violation of the broadcasting rules, particularly Articles (2) and (4) related to false and invalid materials, and accuracy, integrity, and transparency in conveying information.
The commission emphasized in its official letters the necessity for media institutions and their workers to adhere to the professional and legal guarantees stipulated in the broadcasting rules, stressing that violations of these standards necessitate accountability and legal actions against the concerned entities and individuals, according to the legal powers granted to it.
These actions come within the framework of the Communications and Media Commission's follow-up on the performance of media institutions and means, and its effort to regulate media work and enhance professional standards and responsibility in the dissemination of information and the publication of media content within Iraq.