Erbil closes down hotel for playing former Iraqi anthem

"Instead of welcoming guests, the hotel played the former Iraqi regime's anthem.”

Wladimir van Wilgenburg 2022/07/09 21:23

The Erbil governorate on Friday closed down the Rozalin hotel (Photo: Erbil Governorate).

Kurdistan Saddam Hussein Erbil Omed Khoshnaw

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Erbil governorate has decided to close a hotel on Friday for playing the Iraqi’s former anthem that belongs to the former dictator Saddam Hussein during the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha.

"Instead of welcoming guests, the hotel played the anthem by the former (Ba’ath) regime's president, so the hotel was closed and a legal investigation was launched," the Erbil governorate said in a statement.

The governorate said that the hotel did not abide by the laws and regulations of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and tourism guidelines.

The Ba’ath party is banned from any activity in Iraq. Moreover, the promotion of the former party of Saddam Hussein is also forbidden by law.

Also, in November last year, the Erbil governorate closed down the Parmigiano cafe in Erbil for playing the anthem of the former Ba’ath regime.

In 2018, an Iraqi university in Anbar expelled three of its students who were holding up a picture of Saddam Hussein.

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