Christians Iraq MPs are working to overturn a law that forbids the import and sale of alcohol.
On Saturday, instructions were provided to customs agents to impose the prohibition. In spite of objections, it became legislation last month. A complaint was launched by the group, which has five MPs in the Iraqi parliament, alleging that it was undemocratic.
In Iraq, a country with a large Muslim population, drinking in public is discouraged, but it is legal in bars with permits. The bill, which was first approved by the legislature in 2016, has a maximum fine of 25 million Iraqi dinars (£14,256).
It was approved seven years ago and only became enforceable this month after being published in the official gazette. It bans the sale, import, and production of alcohol. It is still unknown how rigorously the law might be applied and whether the Federal Supreme Court of the nation will overturn it.
Members of the Babylon Movement argued that the law was illegal because it ignores minorities’ rights and limits freedom in their court appeals.
Additionally, they claim, it goes against a government regulation that set duty on all imported alcoholic beverages at 200% for the following four years and was adopted less than a week before the gazette was released on February 20.
