Iraq: New forms of repression

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[size=52]Iraq: New forms of repression[/size]

[size=45]Baghdad , just the House of Representatives, Dhi Qar Mohammed Ali
November 6, 2019
Iraqi going authorities in the path of escalation of repression in the face of ongoing protests since the first of October / last October, through the resolution of protests by force and arrested dozens of demonstrators and activists, in parallel with the Internet cut across cities The country, with the exception of the Kurdistan region of Iraq, continues to increase the number of casualties on a daily basis, without showing any solutions or initiatives from the authority to calm the street, after the resignation of Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi linked to finding an alternative, followed by Tehran's intervention to push its allies to maintain the government.
[size=45]The Iraqi authorities stepped up repression yesterday in Baghdad, central and southern Iraq, and witnessed the towns of Umm Qasr and Khor al-Zubair, southernmost of Basra on the waters of the Arabian Gulf, clashes between demonstrators and security forces after trying to open roads blocked by demonstrators by force, with the breaking up of demonstrations in Safwan near the Iraqi crossing Search Results ». According to medical sources at Basra General Hospital, three young protesters were killed by Iraqi security fire and about 150 others were injured on Tuesday. In Dhi Qar, specifically Shatrah and Souk al-Shuyoukh, the Human Rights Commission announced the killing of two protesters and wounding 30 others, as well as the arrest of dozens during the Iraqi security movement to disperse the demonstrations, while Qadisiyah, particularly Diwaniya, witnessed large demonstrations with the closure of most schools and government departments Maysan and Wasit governorates.[/size]
[size=45]According to an Iraqi Ministry of Interior official who spoke to Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed, a campaign of arrests carried out by the intelligence services and SWAT forces targeted dozens of activists. New. Witnesses also confirmed the monitoring of security cars pickups carrying blindfolded youths near the Allawi tunnel heading to a police station in the Karrada district of Baghdad.[/size]
[size=45]Several Iraqi cities have also recorded an increase in kidnappings of Iraqi activists and bloggers, including women. Baghdad, Dhi Qar, Maysan, Babylon and Basra topped the abduction record, with more than 20 activists and bloggers within a month. Armed militias linked to Iran have been blamed for the kidnappings, most notably the Hezbollah Brigades, the Nujaba militia, Khorasani, Asaib and other factions. According to a senior official in the Iraqi Interior Ministry in Baghdad, the President of the Republic and the ministers and the leader of the "Sadr movement" Muqtada al-Sadr know the kidnappers as they brokered last week to the activist Shuja al-Khafaji and released hours later. He explained that the army or internal intelligence arrested and not kidnapped, but in the current cases of kidnapping, you must ask questions to the leaders of the militia of the crowd linked to Iran.
In a statement, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Iraq described what activists, journalists, bloggers and demonstrators are subjected to as a systematic abduction, demanding that the fate of all abductees be disclosed and that action be taken to protect them from systematic abduction in Baghdad and the provinces.[/size]
[size=45]Amid fears that the Internet would be obscured by the intent to break up sit-ins and demonstrations in Baghdad and the south, demonstrators flocked to squares and squares and called on the United Nations and the media to provide what they called the eye of the censor. Karar al-Zaidi, a prominent activist in Baghdad, told Al-Arabi al-Jadeed that they do not trust what will happen in the coming hours. “The Internet may be part of a bloody night plan,” he said, adding that they had contacted the UN mission to be present as well as the media. You are against the government taking any aggressive step against us. ” But Sadr's member, Mohammed Darraji, commented on those fears: "If this government is crazy, it will break up the sit-ins by force, because many victims will fall and complicate the matter further, and the legitimacy of the government and the political system as a whole is at stake."[/size]
[size=45]Iran stepped in publicly, condemning attacks on its consulate in Karbala. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Abbas Mousavi, said in a statement that his country had informed the Iraqi side of its concern over these events and called for the need to ensure the security of Iran's diplomatic and consular headquarters inside Iraq pursuant to international resolutions and agreements.[/size]
[size=45]Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi held a security meeting with the Interior and Defense Ministers and senior security leaders in the presence of Parliament Speaker Mohammed Al-Halbousi and Chief Justice Faiq Zaidan. According to a statement by Abdul Mahdi's office, the meeting affirmed the support of the judicial and legislative authorities to the efforts of the government and security agencies to impose security and stability throughout the country, protect demonstrators, private and public property and economic facilities and ensure the regularity of work and the smooth movement of citizens.
Following the meeting, the Supreme Judicial Council issued a statement describing the banditry as a "terrorist act," which was seen as authorizing Iraqi security forces to break up sit-ins and force open roads.[/size]
[size=45]Meanwhile, Wael al-Moussawi, a member of the sub-committee of the High Commission for Human Rights in Najaf, told Al-Arabi al-Jadeed that the health services in the south are not cooperating with UNHCR in the number of victims, and refuses to disclose those admitted to hospitals and the quality of their injuries.[/size]
[size=45]Politically, MP for the "victory coalition" Faleh al-Ziadi, "New Arab", that the past three days were futile and did not agree on the leaders of the blocks on any solution on the dismissal or resignation of the Prime Minister, explaining that "several meetings took place between political leaders in Baghdad, But the absence of the other element concerned, the Iraqi people and the lack of knowledge of their opinion or position on any agreement makes consensus difficult.
For his part, said the expert on Iraqi political Ali al-Bayati, "It is not true to say that any solution does not satisfy the street, and this is an attempt to justify the hostile steps of the government against the demonstrators." He added to the "new Arab", "the basis of the solutions presented did not reach the demonstrators so far, because they were not real or realistic, and the three presidencies do not want to leave office."[/size]
[size=45]Britain on Tuesday urged the Iraqi government to ensure that all security forces protect protesters during the current protests. The British Embassy in Baghdad, through a statement posted on the "Facebook", that "peaceful demonstrations are a right of the Iraqi people. Violence against demonstrators is unacceptable. ”[/size]


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