On October 12, 2026, Iraq's Communications and Media Commission (هيئة الإعلام والاتصالات) published a public consultation on the Draft Regulatory Rules on Media Coverage of Criminal Cases (مسودة القواعد التنظيمية للتناول الإعلامي في القضايا الجزائية), issued under Coalition Provisional Authority Order No. 65 of 2004 (الأمر التشريعي رقم 65 لسنة 2004). The notice sets a 30-day window that ends on November 11, 2026. Iraqi satellite and terrestrial broadcasters licensed by the CMC that cover criminal cases, Iraqi digital news sites and social publishers distributing criminal-case coverage to audiences in Iraq, professional journalist unions and media institutions the CMC invited to comment, and foreign Arabic-language outlets whose criminal-case coverage is aimed at the Iraqi audience must file article-level comments on the draft rules for media coverage of criminal cases to [email protected] by November 11, 2026, and align crime-coverage practices with the draft limits on suspect interrogation, victim identification and glorification of offenders, or comments received after November 11, 2026 fall outside this consultation window, and once the rules are adopted CMC-licensed broadcasters and digital publishers that breach them face the commission's media sanctions, including warnings and appearance bans.
The draft is not in force. Article 20 states that it enters into force on the date the Board of Commissioners approves it. The CMC notice asks each comment, where possible, to name the article or paragraph, the proposed amendment, and the reasons. The text is the draft PDF linked from that page.
What do the draft rules require of criminal-case coverage?
Article 4 applies to every licensed medium, and every medium subject to the CMC, when it prepares, publishes, broadcasts, republishes, hosts or promotes content on criminal cases. The crimes in scope are offences against honour and integrity, terrorist offences, offences against state security, organised crime, and any other crime the Board later adds by a reasoned decision.
Article 9 requires verification before publication, official sources for legal status, the presumption of innocence until a final judgment, and no content that would influence an investigation or a trial. It bars insulting victims or their families or exploiting their suffering. Article 10 prohibits glorifying crimes or offenders or justifying their acts. Article 12 bars treating an accused person as convicted before a final judgment. Article 14 bars a platform, live or recorded, for a person under an arrest warrant, a fugitive from a final judgment, or a person convicted in absentia who has not appeared, for Article 4 crimes. Factual reporting of proceedings stays allowed under Article 11.
| Draft provision | What the text requires |
|---|---|
| Article 9 | Verify facts, use official sources, presumption of innocence, protect victims and families |
| Article 10 | No glorification, justification or positive portrayal of crimes or offenders |
| Article 12 | Do not present an accused person as convicted before a final judgment |
| Article 14 | No appearance for named categories of wanted persons, limited to Article 4 crimes |
| Article 20 | Entry into force only on approval by the Board of Commissioners |
Who is exposed if the Board adopts the text?
Articles 2 and 4 bind CMC-licensed media and media otherwise subject to its competence: Iraqi satellite and terrestrial broadcasters that carry criminal-case programming, and digital services already inside the commission's licensing or content competence. Iraqi digital news sites and social publishers distributing that coverage to audiences in Iraq must test whether Article 4 reaches their output. Unions and media institutions are consultation addressees, not automatic licensees. Foreign Arabic-language outlets aimed at the Iraqi audience are exposed where a CMC licensee produces or distributes that coverage. Article 6 regulates media conduct and does not create criminal offences.
What must be filed by November 11, 2026?
Comments go to [email protected] and, where possible, cite the article or paragraph, the amendment, and the justification. The notice states that the consultation lasts 30 days and ends on November 11, 2026. A useful filing maps newsroom practice against Articles 9, 10, 12 and 14: how suspects are questioned or shown, whether victims and relatives are named or pictured, and whether programmes glorify offenders. The notice does not extend the window. Article 19 lets the Board issue later guides, but those guides may not amend the rules or create obligations the text does not state. Continuous per-jurisdiction monitoring surfaces a Board approval the day the CMC publishes it.
What happens if the window is missed or the rules are breached?
A comment sent after November 11, 2026 is outside this consultation. The notice states no late-filing path. After adoption, Article 8 allows a regulatory measure only when three conditions are met together: legal status is proved by an official judicial or competent-authority document, a licensed or CMC-subject medium has breached the rules, and the breach harms the public interest, the course of justice, victims' rights, the rule of law, or confidence in the courts. The measure is limited to the coverage in breach.
The draft sets no fine. Licensee sanctions in CMC practice include warnings and appearance bans. Article 17, in a conflict, follows legal hierarchy, then the later text, then the more specific text, without contradicting Order No. 65 of 2004.
Before November 11, 2026, extract Articles 9, 10, 12 and 14 into a comment matrix, send it to [email protected] with the article numbers and the proposed wording, and brief presenters that the draft binds only from the date the Board of Commissioners approves it. Obsidian tracks the CMC publication page so that approval is visible as soon as it is posted.
