The Popular Mobilization Authority announced the arrest of 35 people accused of promoting the banned Baath Party during the first half of this year. The Authority stated in a statement: "In qualitative operations that included a number of governorates, the General Directorate of Information in the Intelligence and Information Assistant in the Popular Mobilization Authority was able to arrest 35 people accused of belonging to and promoting the banned Baath Party during the first half of 2024." It added: "The arrests were carried out in accordance with judicial arrest warrants within the effective law banning the Baath Party, and the accused were referred to the competent judicial authorities to take the necessary measures against them. Indicating that this comes within a series of ongoing security achievements that aim to maintain security and stability and combat provocative and malicious ideas in all governorates of the country. She pointed out: "Article 8 of the Baath Party Ban Law No. 32 of 2016 stipulat es: Whoever belongs to the banned Baath Party or promotes its ideas and opinions by any means or threatens or recruits any person to join the aforementioned party shall be punished with imprisonment for a period not exceeding 10 years after the enforcement of this law, and the prison sentence shall be for a period not less than 10 years if the perpetrator belonged to the Baath Party before its dissolution or is included in the accountability and justice procedures." Source: National Iraqi News Agency