Iraq Holds the First POINT Conference in the Middle East
Arabic | عربي POINT Conference Iraq, held in Baghdad on 20-21 July, is a continuation of the POINT Conference that has been held annually in Sarajevo since 2012. POINT has become an important venue for activists and specialists to promote the use of technology and media to achieve goals set by NGOs and civil society...
Iraq Election Commission Ignored Warnings Over Voting Machines
Writtin by Ahmed Rasheed, Raya Jalabi, Ahmed Aboulenein BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraq’s election commission ignored an anti-corruption body’s warnings about the credibility of electronic vote-counting machines used in May’s parliamentary election, according to investigators and a document seen by Reuters. The devices, provided by South Korean company Miru Systems under a deal with the...
Active Nonviolence and Protests / CIVIL SOCIETY NEWS / Freedom of Expression and Press / Iraqi Voices
Iraq: Security Forces Fire on Protesters
Arabic | عربي Iraq’s security forces fired on and beat protesters in Basra governorate during a series of protests from July 8 to 17, 2018, Human Rights Watch said today. The largely Interior Ministry forces used apparent excessive and unnecessary lethal force against protests over water, jobs, and electrical power that at times turned...
CIVIL SOCIETY NEWS / Iraqi Social Forum (ISF) / Local Forums / PeaceBuilding and Social Cohesion / SOCIAL FORUMS IN IRAQ
Local Forums Across Iraq Reveal a Strong and Growing Youth Movement
Over the past year, the Iraqi Social Forum has become a model for smaller local forums springing up throughout the country. These local forums galvanize and train young activists to work inclusively and nonviolently to create a better Iraq, one based on the values of peace and social cohesion.These values, which became dormant under the...
Iraqi Elections and U.S. Interests: Taking the Long View
Washington Institute – Michael Knights The emerging vote tallies are just the beginning of government formation in Iraq, and they indicate a need to focus on U.S. principles, not specific outcomes. Despite an evidently strong showing by Muqtada al-Sadr’s Sairoon alliance in Iraq’s May 12 vote, “hot takes” are particularly useless for Iraqi elections, because the...
Iraq elections: All you need to know
Iraq’s parliamentary elections set for May 12 will indirectly decide on a new prime minister and president. by Arwa Ibrahim – Al Jazeera News, 8 May 2018 Iraqis will head to the polls on May 12 to elect a new national parliament, which will serve as the basis for the formation of a new government....
The Controversial Iraqi Militia That Now Prefers Social Work To Politics
Mustafa Habib – Niqash The fight against extremists is almost over and one of the country’s often-controversial Shiite Muslim militias is doing good deeds and eschewing politics. Is the al-Abbas Combat Brigade too good to be true? For the people of Basra, unexploded ordinances and long-forgotten mines have been an ongoing concern; the explosives were...
Will Iraq’s New ‘Tribal court’ Undermine Rule of Law?
Mustafa Saadoun – Al-monitor BAGHDAD — Amid Iraqi calls to reinforce the rule of law and strengthen Iraqi state institutions, the Ministry of Justice announced March 28 a new initiative for “arbitration” among tribes, allowing a team of tribal elders to intervene as arbitrators in resolving all possible disputes and conflicts between Iraqi tribes. According to a statement by the Ministry of Justice,...
Iraq Establishes National Oil Company
Al-monitor By Adnan Abu Zeed The Iraqi parliament voted March 5 on the National Oil Company draft law, which regulates oil production and exports and fairly distributes its revenues to the different regions of Iraq. The clauses of the law stipulate that a percentage of oil imports be divided to Iraqis residing in the country as well as...
The Long Road Home: Achieving durable solutions to displacement in Iraq – lessons from returns in Anbar
Report from: Danish Refugee Council, Norwegian Refugee Council, International Rescue Committee. (To download the full version of the report click here) In December 2017, after three years of conflict which displaced 5.8 million people, Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar Al-Abadi declared victory over the Islamic State group (ISIS). As Coalition-backed Iraqi forces slowly regained territory, many people...
Iraq: Families of Alleged Daesh Members Denied IDs
By Human Rights Watch – Feb 25, 2018 (Beirut) – Iraqi security officers are routinely denying relatives of suspected Islamic State (also known as ISIS- Daesh) members the security clearance needed to obtain identity cards and other documents, Human Rights Watch said today. Denying government benefits because of perceived family relationships instead of individual security...
The Tremendous Toll behind the Liberation of Mosul
By: Terry Kay Rockefeller* Civilian casualties are making headlines as we try to comprehend the true cost of liberating Mosul from Daesh. A New York Times investigative report, “The Uncounted,” revealed the stunningly inaccurate intelligence that guided what were supposed to be targeted, strategic bombings of Daesh strongholds. The article described in detail the killing...
