ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Zakho police announced on Wednesday the arrest of 15 individuals within a span of two months, on charges of misuse of technology, social media and means of communication.
Ahmed Ramadhan, the spokesperson for Zakho police, told Rudaw that 15 men were arrested in the span of two months for the misuse of technology and means of communication. The charges include threatening to publish private pictures and videos of people online, insulting and disrespecting people and social and religious values.
“Among the arrested individuals are people who stole social media accounts of others,” Ramadhan said, adding that the suspects were not hackers, but deceived people into giving up their email credentials and then accessing their accounts.
Some of the victims were women.
According to Ramadhan, the arrested individuals were referred to relevant courts to stand trial.
The suspects are arrested under Article 2 of the Kurdistan Region’s Law to Prevent the Misuse of Telecommunications Equipment.
Under the law, anyone "who uses their devices as a means to threaten, defame, or post content that does not go along with the social standards," even if true, can be sentenced to up to five years in prison and also face up to a five-million dinar fine (about $3,450).
A similar law is practiced in Iraq. Article 22, Section Three of Iraq's cybercrime law punishes anyone who "uses computers and the internet to attribute terms, images, sounds, or any other means that include libel and insult to others" with up to two years in prison and up to a five-million dinar fine.
Human Rights Watch has previously criticized the law for threatening freedom of speech. The legislation has been used to target journalists and activists across Iraq.
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