Freedoms in Iraq: An Increasingly Repressive Legal Net

First,   restrictions   must   be   rationally   connected   to   the   objective   they   seek   to   promote,   in   the   sense   that   they   are   carefully   designed   to   achieve   that   objective   and   that   they   are   not   arbitrary   or   unfair. [...]       The  Media  Consultants  Department  of   the  CMC,  which   is  not   independent  of  government   (see   below)   is   tasked  with   developing   recommendations   for   the   CMC   Board   of   Trustees   about   what   legal   measures   should   be   taken   against   media   outlets   which   violate   public   morals,   among   other   things   (Article   34(5)   of   the   draft  . [...]   As   the   UN   Human   Rights   Committee  has  clearly  stated:     Blasphemy   laws   should   not   be   used   to   prevent   or   punish   criticism   of   religious   leaders   or   commentary  on  religious  doctrine  and  tenets  of  faith.27     Article   5(1)   is   far   broader   than   these   international   standards,   prohibiting   the   mere   denigration   or   degrading   of. [...]   Article   16(6)   calls   on   the   CMC   to   approve   the   media   codes   of   conduct   developed   by   the   Media   Consultants   Department,   while   Article   34(2)   gives   that   Department   the   task  of  developing  codes,   in  consultation  with  broadcasters,   to  address  a   range   of   content   issues   such   as   accuracy,   respect   for   morals,   neutrality,  . [...]     Article   13   of   the   draft   Parties   Law   allows   a   court   to   register   or   reject   an   application   for   political   party   status,   but   it   fails   to   set   out   the   grounds   upon   which   a   refusal   might   be   based.