Iraqi activist Ihab Al-Wazni on Sunday, 9th of May, became a new victim in a wave of targeted killings in Iraq, despite repeated calls for the government to bring perpetrators to justice. Al-Wazni, who was active in the organization of anti-government protests that swept Iraq in October 2019, was shot overnight outside his home by […]
Iraq: Inadequate Plans for Camp Closures
Human Rights Watch (Beirut) – Recent camp closures have stripped thousands of displaced people of essential services during the Covid-19 pandemic, with inadequate government plans for their return home, Human Rights Watch said today. The Iraqi government’s plan to end the prolonged displacement of families who were uprooted by fighting between the Islamic State (ISIS) and anti-ISIS forces will […]
President Barham Saleh on Thursday called the displacement of civilians from their homes and logging in some areas of the Kurdistan region inhumane practices and an environmental crime that should not be overlooked. “The abuse of sovereignty, violence and the displacement of civilians from their homes, the uprooting of forest trees in Hrour, Bativa and […]
Impunity for Killings Will Cast a Pall Over Iraq’s Elections
HRW When protests erupted in Baghdad and other parts of central and southern Iraq in October 2019, tens of thousands of mostly young people took to the streets demanding improved government services and more action to curb widespread corruption. The protests quickly evolved into calls for accountability as security forces repeatedly employed excessive force against […]
Diyala in Catastrophic Situation, Most Farmers Leave Their Farmland Due to Drought
Diyala Governorate is suffering from drought which has caused significant damage to farmers and the agricultural sector, as well as a severe shortage of drinking water. A lack of rainfall and water shortages throughout the winter have led many farmers to abandon their lands. The severe rainfall shortage has affected agricultural products and contributed to […]
Freedom of Expression Under Attack in KRI Government Court
Journalists and activists Sherwan Sherwani, Guhdar Zebari, Ayaz Karam, Shvan Saeed Omar and Hariwan Issa, known as the “Badinan journalists”, were arrested last autumn as part of a crackdown by security forces on protests in Duhok Province, and the journalists who were reporting on the protests and issues of government corruption. On February 16, 2021 the five […]
Iraq: GCHR’s 14th Periodic Report on Human Rights Violations During Popular Protests
GCHR This is the 14th periodic report of the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) on human rights violations in Iraq. The report sheds light on killings, arrests, and prosecutions within the ongoing targeting of human rights activists and critics of the current unstable situation. This report also documents the acts of violence that have affected […]
Why Turkey Should Stay Out of Sinjar
European Council on Foreign Relations (ecfr.eu) There is growing fear in Iraq of a potential Turkish military incursion to drive the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) out of Sinjar, a contested area in the country’s north. Such a move would prove highly counterproductive. It would risk weakening Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, who is already struggling […]
Special Report: The Rights of Workers and Employees in Iraq
On the Occasion of May 1st, 2021, International Labor Day Introduction: Iraq faces major economic challenges as a result of the lack of a clear economic vision and widespread corruption. This has led to increasing numbers of unemployed workers, which was made even worse by the outbreak of the COVID epidemic that threatened the […]
Iranian Environmentalists Mark International Day Against Water Transfer
Iranian environmentalists annually celebrate the International Day Against Water Transfer on 17 April, or 28 Favardin, according to the Persian calendar. Water transfers between watersheds are common practice in Iran. They have been regarded as one of the most effective ways to reduce water scarcity, as many Iranian politicians have advocated. Such water scarcity is […]
Iraq Covid Hospital Fire: 82 Dead After ‘Oxygen Tank Explodes’
BBC At least 82 people have been killed in a fire at a hospital treating coronavirus patients in the capital of Iraq, Baghdad. More than 100 others were injured in the blaze, which erupted at the Ibn Khatib hospital on Saturday night. Reports say an accident had caused an oxygen tank to explode, sparking the […]
Kurdistan Region of Iraq: Flawed Trial of Journalists, Activists
Human Rights Watch Appeals Court Should Consider Flagrant Irregularities (Beirut) – A court in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq sentenced three journalists and two activists to six years in prison on February 16, 2021, in deeply flawed proceedings, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities continue to hold two other people despite a court ruling that there […]