Karkh Misdemeanor Court sentences content creator Mustafa Ouda Radi ("Safi") to four months in prison

The Karkh Misdemeanor Court in the capital, Baghdad, on Wednesday issued a four-month prison sentence against content creator Mustafa Ouda Radi, known by his nickname "Safi," for publishing material that was deemed to violate public decency and morals.

A judicial source explained that the ruling was issued based on legal procedures taken by the Interior Ministry’s "Committee for Monitoring Content That Violates Decency and Public Morals," which referred the case file to the competent judicial authorities.

In January 2023 the Interior Ministry formed a specialized committee to monitor and combat what it described as "degrading content" across digital platforms, a step aimed at regulating content it considers contrary to public ethics and general traditions.

Since February 2023, the Interior Ministry, in coordination with the Supreme Judicial Council, has conducted an ongoing campaign to pursue offending content creators, issuing arrest warrants and various prison sentences against a number of social media figures, and has said it will continue to respond to reports received via the electronic "Balagh" platform.