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info@insm-iq.com
www.facebook.com/in4sm
www.twitter.com/in4sm
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Report from Iraqi Network for Social Media about blocking the Internet in Iraq
On June 13, at exactly ten o'clock in the morning, Internet Service Providers and
telecommunication companies in Iraq started unexpectedly blocking various social media
websites without any prior notice to its users.
The ISPs added a message after some time to the blocked websites (This has been blocked
based on the instructions of the Ministry of Communications of Iraq).
Internet has been totally blocked on cellphones for all Iraqi Provinces, excluding Kurdistan,
Internet also has been totally blocked by ISPs in (Kirkuk, Anbar, Nineveh, Salah al-Din,
Diyala, and some areas in Baghdad).
Blockage of Social media websites and mobile applications in all provinces includes but not
limited to (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Skype, WhatsApp, and Viber).
There was no official statement coming from the Iraqi Ministry of Telecommunication on this
topic, until the moment of publishing this report.
Internet Service Providers revealed that the censorship and Internet blockage was following
the orders of the Iraqi Ministry of Communications, stating that the ministry did so as a result
of the current security situation in the country.
Sources from local media confirmed the same explanation given to the ISP, and some
Government representatives added that we are doing so because of the terrorists groups
fabricated images in order to confuse the security situation.
The Iraqi Network for Social Media (INSM for Blogging in Iraq) is declaring its clear
position through this report on the importance of flow of information through the Internet, and
the importance of keeping it accessible, and request all the ISPs who followed these action of
blocking the Internet, to compensate the users from the blocked period.
Following article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which Iraq is a signatory:
“Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to
hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas
through any media and regardless of frontiers”.
Iraqi Network for Social Media
June 16, 2014