Kurdistan group of lawmakers wants to ban porn sites

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A group of Kurdish lawmakers in Erbil are petitioning for a government ban on online porn sites in the Kurdistan region, hoping for the parliament to vote on the matter later this year.

The move comes after a decision by the Iraqi Ministry of Communication earlier this month to ban online websites with pornographic material.

Omed Mohammed, spokesperson of the Kurdish Ministry of Communication, said the decision made in Baghdad would have no force in the Kurdistan region, because of the two separate government administrations.

He said that, in any case, “the implementation of such a ban will be difficult, given the huge number of such sites.”

Omar Bawamir, a lawmaker from the Kurdistan Islamic Movement in the regional parliament, told Rudaw he and 22 other lawmakers had prepared a petition, which they will put to vote and hope for its endorsement.

“The absolute majority of families don’t want these immoral websites in their homes,” Bawamir told Rudaw. He said MPs from both Christian and Turkmen parties were supporting the initiative.