2023-08-06 12:25:14
The Iraqi government announced on Sunday the suspension of Telegram throughout the country for reasons related to “national security”, a measure decried by propaganda groups close to pro-Iranian factions which use this messaging extensively.
The Iraqi Ministry of Telecommunications justified this suspension by invoking “directives from higher authorities related to national security”. The same goes, according to the ministry, for the “protection of citizens’ personal data, (which is) violated by the application”. The government claims to have repeatedly asked Telegram to take up the problem of “leakage of data from state institutions and people, (which) constitutes a threat to national security and social peace”. But the company “did not respond”.
Telegram is very popular in Iraq. The application is notably used as a propaganda platform by groups linked to armed factions and pro-Iranian political parties. One of these groups has also protested, on Telegram, once morest the suspension of the service, claiming that it was a “gagging”. This group, with more than 330,000 subscribers, also cries out for the “confiscation of freedoms” on the part of the Iraqi government, itself supported by pro-Iranian parties.
After four decades of conflict, Iraq has regained relative stability, but the authorities are regularly singled out by NGOs and activists for violations of freedom of expression. Last month, Amnesty International expressed alarm that the Iraqi government plans to submit two bills to parliament which, if passed, “would severely limit the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly”.
The NGO noted at the same time that the presentation of these texts to elected officials “coincides with a series of trials targeting people critical of government figures”. Telegram has already been blocked in other countries. In April, messaging was suspended in Brazil for failing to provide data on active neo-Nazi groups on the app. This sanction was canceled on appeal two days later.
The Iraqi government announced on Sunday the suspension of Telegram throughout the country for reasons related to “national security”, a measure decried by propaganda groups close to pro-Iranian factions which use this messaging extensively.
At midday on Sunday, the service was no longer accessible, the…
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