Iraq sets up commission to monitor hate speech and sectarian content

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's government has established a special commission to monitor hate speech, sectarian publications, and racist content, according to an official statement issued in Baghdad. The new body is tasked with identifying instances of hate speech across multiple platforms, including social media and press outlets, and reporting them to the relevant authorities. Its mandate covers sectarian and ethnically inflammatory posts as well as racist publications, the government said. The commission will report directly to central authorities in Baghdad and coordinate with relevant institutions to initiate legal and administrative proceedings against flagged content. Members of the commission are to be officially announced at a later stage. The statement did not specify when the commission would begin operations or which institutions would be involved in the legal follow-up.