College of Law – University of Baghdad Discusses Master’s Thesis on the Crime of Public Incitement to Disobey Laws
On Wednesday, May 21, 2025, the College of Law at the University of Baghdad held a defence for a master’s thesis titled “The Crime of Public Incitement to Disobey Laws – A Comparative Study”, submitted by Haider Natiq Hano from the Criminal Law. The session took place in the college’s Model Courtroom.
The examination committee consisted of:
- Prof. Dr. Firas Abdul-Munem Abdullah – Chairman
- Prof. Dr. Nawal Tariq Ibrahim – Member
- Prof. Dr. Raad Fajr Fattih – Member
- Prof. Dr. Alaa Nasser Hussein – Member and Supervisor
The thesis aimed to analyze the crime of public incitement to disobey the law, as it represents a clear violation undermining the legal system and public order. It emphasized the importance of criminalizing such conduct to preserve legal integrity and societal stability.
The thesis was organized into three chapters:
- Chapter One: Definition of the crime of public incitement to disobey laws
- Chapter Two: Substantive legal provisions related to this crime
- Chapter Three: Legal analysis and interpretation of the offense
The study concluded with several key recommendations, most notably:
- Amending Article 213 of the Iraqi Penal Code No. 111 of 1969 (as amended), by replacing the phrase “incited by public means” with “anyone who incites others by public means” to improve linguistic clarity and legal precision, as the current wording places the verb before the subject.
- Obligating digital platforms to remove illegal content within a specified timeframe after being reported, similar to the approach taken in France through the AVIA Law, which imposes significant fines on non-compliant platforms.
- Establishing a specialized regulatory authority to monitor digital content and track posts that incite disobedience to laws, using artificial intelligence to detect and remove such content through pre-programmed keywords and automated processes.
This research contributes to the development of legal thought in addressing modern forms of criminal behaviour, particularly in the digital sphere, and emphasizes the role of legislation in keeping pace with technological advancements.
