ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on Thursday announced it was banning TV channels and social media pages from posting footage from crime scenes or that which shows suspects so as to “protect the course of investigations.”

The KRG’s Department of Media and Information in a statement said that a circular from the Council of Ministers has been directed to all government institutions, informing them that “no channels or pages on social networks will be allowed to publish scenes and videos of crimes, suspects, and the time and location of crimes.”

The statement noted that the circular was issued upon the Kurdistan Region Independent Human Rights Commission’s request to the Council of Ministers, calling for prohibiting live and recorded coverages of such incidents, in order to “protect the course of investigations and the psychological and social aspects of people's lives and prevent exploiting events for political and social divisions.”

Rights organizations have criticized Iraqi and Kurdish media for their coverage of crime incidents, often showing graphic images from the scene or publishing videos of suspects that pose defamation risks given the lack of due process.

In late August, footage emerged on social media depicting forces affiliated with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) verbally and physically abusing groups of men who were detained following the Lalezar clashes in Sulaimani.

The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) described the footage as “disturbing,” calling for the respecting of principles of human rights and due process.

Also in August, graphic security footage from an Erbil gas station also received widespread coverage on TV and social media, which showed one of the station’s attendants fatally shooting two men after an altercation broke out between them over the payment for spilled fuel. A bystander was also killed in the incident.