Human Rights Watch: Al-Kazemi's government has not fulfilled its promises of legal accountability fo

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[size=52]Human Rights Watch: Al-Kazemi's government has not fulfilled its promises of legal accountability for the killers of the demonstrators[/size]

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Human Rights Watch has accused the Iraqi government under former Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi of not fulfilling its promises to legally hold employees of state security services and members of state-supported armed groups responsible for killing, maiming, and disappearing hundreds of demonstrators and activists since 2019.[/size]
[size=45]The 34-page report, titled: “Hypnotizing the Law: Violence against Protesters and the Perpetrators’ Impunity from Accountability in Iraq,” examines details of cases of killing, injury, and disappearance of demonstrators during and after the 2019-2020 popular uprising in central and southern Iraq.[/size]
[size=45]It is worth noting that Al-Kadhimi assumed power in May 2020 promising justice for the killings and disappearances, but when he left office in October 2022, his government had not made any tangible progress in holding those responsible accountable.[/size]
[size=45]For his part, Adam Coogle, Deputy Middle East Director at Human Rights Watch, said, "Two and a half years after Al-Kadhimi assumed power, his promises of justice in cases of fierce violence against peaceful demonstrators turned out to be empty, and the killers are released freely."[/size]
[size=45]"The demonstrators sacrificed a lot to improve conditions in the country, they even sacrificed their lives, but their government could not, in return, grant them even the minimum level of justice," the report added.[/size]
[size=45]According to United Nations statistics, around 500 protesters were killed in just a few weeks of the uprising by Iraqi security forces and state-backed armed groups.[/size]
[size=45]Violence against demonstrators also continued even after the protests ended, with an assassination campaign targeting prominent activists, most of whom were seen as influential voices in the protest movement.[/size]
[size=45]The same source stated that “six months after he assumed office, former Prime Minister Al-Kadhimi established a (fact-finding committee) to investigate the violence perpetrated by state security forces and armed groups against demonstrators and activists.”[/size]
[size=45]And he added, "The committee has not yet published any substantial information about its findings, nor has it even disclosed the cases it has investigated, let alone the results of its investigations."[/size]
[size=45]According to the report, the organization “investigated 11 cases of Iraqis who were subjected to violence due to protest and political activity. Five of them were killed, including two women. Five others were injured and one of them was kidnapped and is still missing.”[/size]
[size=45]It also states that “victims and families of those killed or disappeared have filed legal cases with the police and judicial authorities, but after the authorities showed initial interest, such as collecting details of these cases, legal complaints were not resumed and the authorities did not practically pursue their investigations or attempts to identify those responsible and hold them accountable.” Some of the people we interviewed insisted their cases had simply been "slept asleep".[/size]
[size=45]One of those interviewed by Human Rights Watch is Amjad al-Dahamat's brother.[/size]
[size=45]According to the organization, Amjad Al-Dahamat, 56, was a prominent activist in Amarah, the capital of Maysan Governorate in southeastern Iraq. On November 6, 2019, after weeks of protests, al-Dahamat was assassinated after leaving a meeting with a senior police commander at the main police station in Amarah, other activists who attended the meeting said. The crime took place only a few hundred meters from the police headquarters.”[/size]
[size=45]And she continued, “His brother, Ali (52 years old), filed a lawsuit with the authorities, with little result. No arrests were made in the case. During his struggle to achieve justice for his brother, Ali Al-Dahamat received death threats and was forced to flee Amarah, moving from one city to another for fear that he too would be killed.[/size]
[size=45]Despite the lack of progress in investigations and legal accountability, the Iraqi government has provided financial compensation to most of the families of those killed. According to the United Nations, most of the families of the dead protesters have received financial compensation from the Iraqi "Martyrs Foundation," a government institution.[/size]
[size=45]The government also promised to compensate thousands of demonstrators who were maimed or injured during the protests. But only a small number of them received compensation for their injuries, and this was done after long waiting times - in some cases up to two and a half years - and at great financial cost. Many have hired lawyers to help with their claims, and some have spoken of having to pay bribes to officials to work on their claims.[/size]
[size=45]Human Rights Watch called on the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani to publish information about the investigations of the fact-finding committee into the killings, injuries, and disappearances of demonstrators during and after the uprising.[/size]
[size=45]It also considered it necessary to urge “the judicial authorities to disclose information related to the status of investigations and the progress of cases.”[/size]
[size=45]Thus, Coogle adds: “The 2019-2020 uprising brought down the government and prompted early elections, and the demonstrators demanded that the perpetrators of the violence they were subjected to be held accountable. The prime minister can, and should, work to achieve justice that his predecessor did not.[/size]
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