ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - More than 800 electronic extortion cases were addressed, the majority involving women, during the first nine months of this year, the Iraqi Interior Ministry announced on Wednesday, amid a push to reduce harassment and blackmail in the country despite outdated laws.
“The specialized detachments successfully addressed 864 cases of electronic extortion, dealing with them in accordance with legal frameworks and preventive measures,” Ministry spokesperson Miqdad Miri stated, noting that the cases included 763 involving women (88 percent) and 101 involving men.
In early June, the Iraqi parliament gave a first reading to a long-delayed cybercrime bill aimed at updating the country's outdated 1969 Penal Code to tackle modern digital offenses, including the rising threat of online blackmail and harassment.
The proposed legislation reserves its harshest penalties, which include life imprisonment and fines exceeding 35 million Iraqi dinars ($27,000) for severe offenses such as sexual exploitation, financial crimes, and trafficking illicit materials.
While human rights watchdogs have repeatedly criticized the early June bill for vaguely defined terms that could restrict free speech, Iraqi lawmakers defended the measure as a vital tool to combat digital abuses that “infringe upon the private lives of individuals” and to establish a strict “punitive system for perpetrators” who exploit technology to target vulnerable victims.
“The Community Police continues its intensive efforts to protect citizens and provide psychological and legal support to victims,” Miri explained, adding that the department ensures “complete confidentiality for those who report.”
The alarming rate of electronic extortion coincides with a massive surge in social media usage across the country.
According to the Baghdad-based Digital Media Center (DMC), in early June, the number of registered social media accounts in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region jumped from 34.3 million in 2025 to over 40.1 million in the first half of this year - exceeding the country's actual number of internet users due to a proliferation of fake and duplicate accounts.
This digital boom has directly fueled a rise in technology-facilitated gender-based violence and sexual extortion.
Local organizations are bearing the brunt of this crisis as perpetrators exploit the digital space.
Sherri Kraham Talabany, President of SEED - a local NGO assisting women and vulnerable populations - told Rudaw in early June that they receive "many, many cases" of women and girls seeking help to remove harmful content or stop exploitation.
Until the newly proposed cybercrime bill is passed, Iraqi courts continue to rely on older legislation that penalizes digital libel and insults with up to two years in prison.
Meanwhile, the Kurdistan Region utilizes a telecommunications misuse law that punishes digital threats and defamation with up to five years in prison.
