Iraq has begun enforcing a 2016 ban on alcoholic beverages, an official document showed, a move some Iraqis attribute to the growing clout of Islamic religious parties that they fear is threatening social freedoms.
Enforcement took effect when the law was published in Iraq's official gazette on Feb. 20, seven years after its passage by parliament. No official reason for the delay has been given, but analysts said religious parties exert more influence in the current coalition government than recent predecessors.
Border crossings and airport authorities have been ordered to confiscate any alcoholic drinks in the possession of travellers, according to a government document seen by Reuters. Licences to sell alcohol have only been issued to non-Muslims in Iraq and, while drinking in public is not prohibited, it is frowned upon. In the capital Baghdad, it is not unusual to see youths drinking on the banks of the Tigris river.
Ending a year of deadlock, the largest parliamentary bloc known as the Co-ordination Framework, an alliance of Iran-aligned Shiite Muslim political factions, managed to form a government in October last year.
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
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