Kurdistan parliament rejects the controversial "Network Media Regulation Law"

Shafaq News / The Culture and Civil Society Committee in Kurdistan Parliament rejected the proposed bill to regulate Network Media in the region. 

The committee stated in a statement, received by Shafaq News agency, that this proposed project was not submitted by any specific bloc or personality but rather submitted by 53 deputies from the various blocs to the Presidency of Parliament to protect freedom of expression and journalists.

She added, "But after discussing the project and the comments received by the committee, we decided on 8/17-2020 to reject the project in its current form and prepare it again after consulting legal professionals, media professionals and the relevant authorities".

The draft law was widely rejected because it limits the freedom of speech, as it stipulates in one of the paragraphs that a sentence of five years' imprisonment or a fine of five million dinars for "abusive" comments on social media.