Past

National shutdown

Iraqi authorities ordered Internet services to be suspended on the morning of 22 May 2025 between 6:00 and 8:00 local time (+3 UTC). This national shutdown is the second in an expected series during the middle school exams, which last until 4 June.

  • Total Duration 2 hours

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Population
45,074,049

Freedom House rates Internet freedom as Partly Free

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Local impact

The shutdown follows an announcement by Iraq's Ministry of Communication on 19 May 2025 stating that they will enact the Ministry of Education's request to suspend Internet services on exam days as part of its efforts to prevent cheating.

This national shutdown is the second in an expected series during the middle school exams, which last until 4 June.

Iraqi officials have ordered more than 80 Internet shutdowns over the past two years, all of which were related to exams either in wider Iraq or in the Kurdistan region.

Related documentation

A screenshot of an announcement on the Ministry of Communications website on 19 May 2025 regarding planned Internet shutdowns related to exam period.

A screenshot of an announcement on the Ministry of Communications website on 19 May 2025 regarding planned Internet shutdowns related to the exams period.
A screenshot of an announcement on the Ministry of Communications website on 19 May 2025 regarding planned Internet shutdowns related to the exams period.

Below is a screenshot of the Iraq Middle School exam schedule happening from 22 May to 4 June 2025.

Exams Scheduled in Iraq, 20 May to 4 June 2025

Based on the exam schedules below, we except further disruptions daily until 4 June.

Other supporting information

Cloudflare Radar and IODA recorded drops in Internet traffic on 20 May 2025 from 3:00 UTC (6:00 local time) to 5:00 UTC (8:00 local time).

Araph from Cloudflare Radar indicates a drop to nearly zero in traffic across Iraq on the morning of 22 May 2025
Graph from Cloudflare Radar indicates a drop to nearly zero in traffic across Iraq.
The graph from IODA indicates a drop to nearly zero in traffic across Iraq.
Graph from IODA indicates a drop to nearly zero in traffic across Iraq.