Political opposition activists / protesters

1.10.1 Iraq

Since August 2015, repeated civil protests have been taking place in Baghdad and several cities in southern Iraq, protesting not only against infrastructure failures, but increasingly against corruption within the public services. The authorities restrained mostly from intervening by means of the security forces, but there were also examples of violence between protesters and police in southern Iraq and Baghdad. Examples of violent incidents were the protests against the appointment of a new governor in Diwaniyah in 2015⁵¹⁷, or the attacks against headquarters of the Dawa party and the Badr Organisation (both essentially Shi’a) in different cities in the south in June 2016.⁵¹⁸

The protests became increasingly politicised: in February 2016, Moqtada al-Sadr, Head of the Sadrist Movement, called for a protest against corruption in the government, and on 16 February 2016 he personally led a major demonstration on Tahrir Square in the capital.⁵¹⁹ Sadr has also appealed to his supporters to increase pressure on the government, which in his view was taking too long to implement reforms, by protesting closer to the international zone, where – next to foreign embassies and international organisations – the Iraqi parliament and government are located.⁵²⁰ His supporters followed this call, and since 18 March 2016 held sit-ins at several entrances to the international zone. At the beginning of the sit-in, the demonstrators gathered from Tahrir Square across the Jumhuriya bridge to the international zone.⁵²¹ On 30 April 2016, the Sadrist protesters stormed the international zone, entered the Council of Representatives and vandalised the parliament and assaulted at least one member of parliament who attempted to leave. They attempted to set up a ‘sit in’ in the Green Zone.⁵²² Another demonstration by the Sadrist Movement on 20 May 2016 led to a second intrusion in the international zone, but this time, the police did use force against the protesters:

allegedly, four people were killed, and about 90 wounded.⁵²³ On 11 February 2017, a third raid on the international zone, again by members of the Sadrist Movement, was pushed back by police forces. The violence caused at least four deaths and 320 wounded.⁵²⁴

516 Norway, Landinfo, Irak: Situasjonen for personer som har jobbet for utenlandske selskaper [Situation of people who worked for foreign companies], 7 April 2016, url. Extracts translated in English in: UK Home Office, Iraq, Perceived collaborators, January 2018, url, p. 10.

517 Almirbad, Six people injured after clashes between supporters of the Virtue Party and Demonstrators in Diwaniyah (Arabic), 09 October 2015, url.

518 Wing, J., Power Struggles Amongst Iraq’s Ruling Shiite Parties, Musings on Iraq [Blog], 21 June 2016, url.

519 ISW, Iraqi Updates (Sinan A.), Sadr Rejuvenates Demonstrations as PM Abadi Works to Implement Decisive Reforms, 01 March 2016, url.

520 ISW, Iraqi Updates (Sinan A.), Sadr Rejuvenates Demonstrations as PM Abadi Works to Implement Decisive Reforms, 01 March 2016, url.

521 Reuters, Shi'ite cleric's followers begin anti-corruption sit-in in Baghdad, 18 March 2016, url

522 ISW, Warning: Sadrists Storm the Green Zone. 30 April 2016, url; ISW, Sadr Attempts a De-facto Coup in Iraq, 1 May 2016, url.

523 Wing, J., Sadr Takes Over Protests In Iraq’s Capital But What’s Next?, Musings on Iraq [Blog], 30 May 2016, url.

524 ISW, Iraq Situation Report: February 11-16 2017, 16 February 2017, url.

Between 8 and 17 July 2018, a series of protests in Basrah over water, jobs and electrical power turned violent. The security forces, described by Human Rights Watch to belong mostly to the Ministry of Interior, used force against the demonstrators, resulting in three protesters being killed and at least 47 wounded.⁵²⁵ In six of the eight protests investigated by Human Rights Watch, the security forces allegedly fired live ammunition, threw rocks and beat people during or after their arrest. The source reported that ‘since July 14 [2018], the authorities have severely limited internet access across much of central and south Iraq.’⁵²⁶

The wave of protests rose again in September 2018 after a water crisis in Basrah described by Joel Wing on his blog Musings on Iraq:

‘Basra’s water problems took off in August. That was when people started going to the hospital after having drank contaminated water. By September 4 up to 22,000 had been affected. The cause was growing salinity coming from the Persian Gulf up the Shatt al-Arab, and the lack of water coming from the north due to a new dam in Turkey. The Abadi government promised to truck in fresh water to deal with the crisis, but Basra health officials have complained that the water delivered was not always clean as some were filled up at desalination plants that were not checking the quality.

The government knew about both of these issues for years, and took little to no action. That led to growing anger at the authorities, which revived the protest movement.’⁵²⁷

In the course of this wave of protests the Iranian consulate in Basrah was stormed by demonstrators, and an oil field in the region was overtaken where protester held workers hostage. Protesters claimed that Iran-backed militias ‘run rampant in Basra, kidnapping and extorting money from their opponents and creating an atmosphere of fear’.⁵²⁸ Several sources note that Shia militias backed by Iran played a major role in defeating ISIL and have since increased their influence in Iraq.⁵²⁹ Government buildings were ransacked and burned down.

The demonstrations led to a temporarily shutdown of Iraq’s only major sea port at Umm Qasr, 60 km south of Basrah. Reuters reported that ‘residents say they have been driven to the streets by corruption that allowed infrastructure to collapse, leaving no power or safe drinking water in the heat of summer.’⁵³⁰ The same source counted 12 deaths among the demonstrators in this wave of protest.⁵³¹

On 8 September 2018, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Iraq Ján Kubiš condemned the violent attacks on government and party offices, oil installations, the airport and the Iranian consulate by the protesters.⁵³² Citing figures the released by Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights (IHCHR), the October 2018 report of the Secretary-General of the UN Security Council noted that ‘casualties between 9 August and

525 Human Rights Watch, Iraq: Security Forces Fire on Protesters, 24 July 2018, url.

526 Human Rights Watch, Iraq: Security Forces Fire on Protesters, 24 July 2018, url.

527 Wing, J., Basra Explodes In Rage and Riots Over Water Crisis, Musings on Iraq [Blog], 5 September 2018, url.

528 Washington Post (The), Chanting ‘Iran, out!’ Iraqi protesters torch Iranian Consulate in Basra, 7 September 2018, url.

529 RFE/RL, Iraqi PM Urged To Resign Over Basra Unrest, 8 September 2018, url; Fox News, Iran-backed militias accused of reign of fear in Iraqi Basra, 23 September 2018, url.

530 Reuters, Unrest intensifies in Iraq as Iranian consulate and oil facility stormed. 7 September 2018, url.

531 Reuters, Unrest intensifies in Iraq as Iranian consulate and oil facility stormed. 7 September 2018, url.

532 UNAMI, UN Special Representative Kubiš condemns violence in Basra as harmful to people’s needs, urges the government to take resolute action while respecting the right of people for peaceful demonstrations for their legitimate demands. 9 September 2018, url.

3 October from the Basrah demonstrations reached 18 civilians killed (17 men and 1 woman), 155 civilians injured (all men) and 43 members of the security forces injured.’⁵³³ Reporting on the protests in Basrah, Amnesty International noted in September 2018 that ‘up until 5 September [2018], at least seven protesters were reported to have been killed due to excessive force, including by live ammunition. On 6 September, three more protesters were reported to have been killed as protesters took to burning government and political party buildings.’⁵³⁴

The following incidents of violence against politicians, political opposition activists and protesters, have been reported by UNAMI and other institutions monitoring the human rights situation:

 On 4 May 2017, an IED exploded outside the house of a parliamentarian of the Sadrist bloc in Basrah, with material damages only.⁵³⁵ On the demonstrations by the Sadrist movement in front of the international zone in 2016 (see above) UNAMI noted: ‘There were also reports that individuals perceived to have significant leadership roles in organizing such demonstrations were targeted for arrest or detention subsequent to the demonstrations, or were reportedly threatened, intimidated, physically abused and on occasion abducted or killed by unknown perpetrators.’⁵³⁶

 On 8 May 2017, seven students, workers and civil activists were abducted from their home in Baghdad by unidentified gunmen and taken to an unknown destination, where they were reportedly beaten before they were released the next day. Some of the abductees were allegedly human rights activists who participated in demonstrations on Tahrir Square in Baghdad.⁵³⁷

 On 8 September 2017, a well-known playwright received death threats on social media following his expression of criticism at the presence of pictures of an Iranian religious leader in Amarah city in Maysan Governorate. The day before, there were gunshots in front of his house.⁵³⁸

 On 6 February 2018, the Turkmen university teacher and spokesman for Kirkuk University Ali Almas was shot by unidentified perpetrators in Kirkuk. He was a candidate for the parliamentary election on the list led by former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.⁵³⁹

 Since 1 September 2018, 27 men have been arrested in Basrah for participating in demonstrations; 18 of them have been released, but the remaining 9 are being detained under judicial orders.⁵⁴⁰

1.10.2 Kurdistan Region of Iraq

The November 2018 DIS/Landinfo report noted that Kurdish security actors are targeting political and societal opposition in the KRI. Human rights advocates, activists, journalists and protesting civil servants are being targeted when they display criticism of the political

533 UN Security Council, Implementation of resolution 2421 (2018) Report of the Secretary-General [S/2018/975], 31 October 2018, url, p. 10.

534 AI, Iraq: Effective Investigations Needed Into Deaths of Protesters in Basra, 7 September 2018, url, p. 1

535 UNAMI/OHCHR, Report on Human Rights in Iraq – January to June 2016, 5 December 2016, url, p. 39.

536 UNAMI/OHCHR, Report on Human Rights in Iraq – January to June 2016, 5 December 2016, url, p. 20.

537 UNAMI/OHCHR, Report on Human Rights in Iraq – January to June 2017, 14 December 2017, url, p. 19.

538 UNAMI/OHCHR, Report on Human Rights in Iraq: July to December 2017, 8 July 2018, url, p. 17.

539 iqNews, Candidate for Iraq’s Parliamentary Election Shot Dead in Kirkuk: Police. 6 February 2018, url.

540 UN Security Council, Implementation of resolution 2421 (2018) Report of the Secretary-General [S/2018/975], 31 October 2018, url, p. 11.

leadership.⁵⁴¹ An international NGO working in Iraq that was interviewed by DIS/Landinfo during their 2018 mission to KRI explained that ‘there are very small possibilities for the political opposition in KRI. A small group of persons in top of the political parties, KDP and PUK, can do anything they want without fearing sanctions etc. In general, the KDP and PUK are in control. If a person has a conflict with a powerful figure from these two parties or the Asayish, that person would be in trouble.’⁵⁴² According to sources interviewed for the same report ‘after October 2017, there were reports on PMU violations against the Kurdish population in Kirkuk and Tuz Khurmatu. The targeted Kurds were mostly members of the political party KDP and the Asayish.’⁵⁴³

In its Iraq 2018 Crime and Safety report the United States Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) noted that civil unrest occasionally takes place in the KRI. Typically, protests are peaceful, require a permit, and are heavily monitored by Kurdish police and security services.

However, violent protests occurred in late 2017 at the Kurdistan’s Parliament regarding the Iraqi military intervention after the referendum vote.⁵⁴⁴ In its Iraq 2017 Crime and Safety report OSAC reports demonstrations over lapses in civil servant pay and worsening economic conditions were taking place in 2016, primarily in Sulaymaniyah.⁵⁴⁵

Incidents involving violence against protesters in the KRI include:

 On 9 October 2015, a protest march near the KDP-headquarters in Qaladize (Sulaymaniyah Governorate) turned into riots, whereupon armed KDP-men took aim at the protesters. Initially sources spoke of one person killed and 180 wounded.⁵⁴⁶ Later reports spoke about five fatalities.⁵⁴⁷

 In December 2016 security forces in Sulaymaniyah started a crackdown on protesting teachers. Rallies were dispersed and some protesters were beaten or arrested.

Protest organizers and journalists are confronted with threats since then.⁵⁴⁸

 At an unspecified date in the period July to December 2016 a number of teachers was arrested and detained in Sulaymanyah and Halabja after striking over pay and working conditions.⁵⁴⁹

 In March 2017, Kurdish security services arrested 32 unarmed protesters in Erbil.

Most were released the same day, six remained in custody. The protesters demonstrated against recent clashes in Sinjar.⁵⁵⁰

 In 2017, Kurdish independent activists who oppose or criticize the referendum for Kurdish independence have been threatened, arrested, and accused of treason.⁵⁵¹

541 Denmark, DIS, Norway, Landinfo, Iraq: Security situation and the situation for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the disputed areas, 5 November 2018, url, p. 25.

542 Denmark, DIS, Norway, Landinfo, Iraq: Security situation and the situation for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the disputed areas, 5 November 2018, url, p. 43.

543 Denmark, DIS, Norway, Landinfo, Iraq: Security situation and the situation for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the disputed areas, 5 November 2018, url, p. 23.

544 OSAC, Iraq 2018 crime and safety report: Erbil, 3 June 2018, url.

545 OSAC, Iraq 2017 crime and safety report: Erbil, 13 February 2017, url.

546 Niqash, Dream of ‘Other Iraq’ crumbles: Whose political system is more stable - Iraqi Kurdistan’s or the real Iraq’s?, 15 October 2015, url.

547 UN Security Council, Second report of the Secretary- General pursuant to paragraph 7 of resolution 2233 (2015), 26 January 2016, url, p. 3.

548 CPTI, Stand with civil society in Iraqi Kurdistan, 4 February 2017, url.

549 UK, FCO, Human Rights Priority Country update report: July to December 2016 – Iraq, 8 February 2017, url.

550 Human Rights Watch, Kurdistan region of Iraq: 32 arrested at peaceful protest, 16 March 2017, url.

551 Natali, D., Iraqi Kurds’ referendum for political relevance, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 7 August 2017, url.

 On 19 December 2017, an anti-government demonstration in Ranya district of Sulaymaniyah Governorate turned violent. Two individuals were killed and 85 others, including 40 security personnel, were wounded. Kurdistan Region Security Forces arrested 200 individuals in various locations in the governorate, releasing them without charge by 31 December. In addition, the Kurdish Security Forces arrested three other individuals.⁵⁵²

 In late March 2018, KRG security forces detained at least 84 protesters during demonstrations against unpaid wages which took place in the cities of Akre, Dohuk, and Erbil.⁵⁵³