A controversial law banning the import of alcohol comes into effect in Iraq

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[size=52]A controversial law banning the import of alcohol comes into effect in Iraq[/size]

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The customs authorities in Iraq said on Saturday that the import of alcohol has become prohibited in the country, in implementation of a controversial law that entered into force recently.[/size]
[size=45]The law imposes a fine on violators ranging between 10 million and 25 million Iraqi dinars (between 7 thousand and 19 thousand dollars). While observers denounced what they considered decisions that limit freedoms.[/size]
[size=45]This, and alcohol consumption is a controversial issue in Iraq, and this is not the first time that the possibility of preventing it has raised controversy in the country.[/size]
[size=45]Iraq includes shops specialized in the sale of alcohol, usually owned by people from Christian and Yazidi minorities, and spread in the capital, Baghdad. However, restaurants and hotels rarely serve alcohol, which is generally viewed negatively.[/size]
[size=45]In addition, on Saturday, the Customs Authority informed “all regions and customs centers to prevent the entry of alcoholic beverages of all kinds.”[/size]
[size=45]The authority said in a statement that its directive “came based on the Municipal Imports Law,” referring to Article 14 of the law, which was published in the Official Gazette on February 20, and stipulates that “it is prohibited to import, manufacture, and sell alcoholic beverages of all kinds.”[/size]
[size=45]The law, a copy of which was seen by Agence France-Presse, imposes a fine on violators ranging between 10 million and 25 million Iraqi dinars (i.e. between 7 thousand and 19 thousand dollars).[/size]
[size=45]This law was voted on in 2016, but it was not published in the Official Gazette and therefore did not enter into force. At the time, the issue sparked widespread controversy in the country, and deputies and observers considered it unconstitutional.[/size]
[size=45]Earlier this week, the five deputies in the Christian bloc in Parliament submitted an appeal to the Federal Court on the constitutionality of this article and its lack of respect for the rights of minorities, as confirmed by Representative Duraid Jamil to the French News Agency.[/size]
[size=45]"Restriction of personal freedoms"[/size]
[size=45]Despite the announcement of the decision, alcohol stores in Baghdad continue to operate normally. On Saturday afternoon, alcohol shops were still operating in the capital.[/size]
[size=45]For his part, Mustafa Saadoun of the Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights said that Article 14 “does not conform to the constitution,” adding that it “restricts freedoms.”[/size]
[size=45]He explained that "this law is part of a whole set of (decisions) that restrict freedoms," at a time when the authorities had arrested content makers on YouTube and TikTok for publishing "low content."[/size]
[size=45]And on Karrada Street in the capital, Sarmad Abbas admits that drinking alcohol is forbidden for Muslims, but “these are private freedoms, and we cannot prevent citizens from exercising these freedoms,” considering that the decision “will open the way for selling it on the black market.”[/size]
[size=45]On social media, the government's alcohol decision has fueled controversy.[/size]
[size=45]Yazidi activist Murad Ismail wrote on Twitter last February, "Non-Muslim religions do not prohibit alcoholic beverages, but these laws impose the same penalties on them."[/size]
[size=45]He added, "While the world is opening up to new ideas and freedoms and giving people the right to choose, our country is unfortunately retreating and the will of a specific class is being imposed on people."[/size]
[size=45]This, and this legal article contradicts another decision of the Council of Ministers issued on February 14, to impose customs duties of 200% on alcoholic beverages imported into Iraq, to ​​be applied for a period of four years.[/size]
[size=45]Meanwhile, the Kurdistan Regional Government is not concerned with this law issued by the federal government.[/size]
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