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Established in 2006 as a Community of Reality

Welcome to the Neno's Place!

Neno's Place Established in 2006 as a Community of Reality


Neno

I can be reached by phone or text 8am-7pm cst 972-768-9772 or, once joining the board I can be reached by a (PM) Private Message.

Established in 2006 as a Community of Reality

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Established in 2006 as a Community of Reality

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    Amnesty International protests two projects of the Iraqi government: freedom of expression is threat

    Rocky
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    Amnesty International protests two projects of the Iraqi government: freedom of expression is threat Empty Amnesty International protests two projects of the Iraqi government: freedom of expression is threat

    Post by Rocky Tue 18 Jul 2023, 4:40 am

    Amnesty International protests two projects of the Iraqi government: freedom of expression is threatened and must be withdrawn
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    Baghdad today - follow-up
    Today, Tuesday (July 18, 2023), Amnesty International and the Ansam Network for Digital Rights in Iraq said that the Iraqi government has re-introduced two bills to Parliament, which, if approved, would severely restrict the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly of the Iraqi people.
    The reintroduction of these two bills coincides with a series of prosecutions targeting people who criticize government figures, as well as a campaign led by the Ministry of Interior to crack down on “low content” online. Between January and June of this year, the authorities prosecuted at least 20 people for peacefully exercising their human right to freedom of expression. Six people were sentenced to prison but have since been released.
    “The Iraqi authorities’ recent attempt to suppress freedom of expression reveals their blatant disregard for the extraordinary sacrifices Iraqis made during the 2019 uprising to ensure their freedoms,” said Bissan Fakih, Amnesty International’s Iraq and Yemen Regional Campaigns Officer. The Iraqi government should immediately withdraw these two repressive bills, and the House of Representatives should not pass any laws that unduly restrict the human rights of Iraqis."
    The proposed bill on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly would give Iraqi authorities cover for a democratically approved law to unfairly prosecute anyone who makes public comments that violate “public morals” or “public order.”
     Under the proposed cybercrime bill, those who post online content deemed to harm the vaguely defined “higher economic, political, military or security interests of the country” could face up to life in prison and a fine of up to 50 million dirhams. Iraqi dinars (about 38,000 US dollars).
    During meetings with Amnesty International in Baghdad in May, human rights defenders and activists expressed concern that the two bills would enable the authorities to further crack down on peaceful dissent. The proposed reforms are deeply troubling due to the recent wave of prosecutions related to freedom of expression.
    One Iraqi comedian, who was prosecuted in an Iraqi court during the “low content” campaign, told Amnesty International: “I can no longer make fun of any party, the state, or any public figure…or the condition of roads, water, schools or bridges.” . Why? Because everything belongs to political parties.” 
    Restrict freedom of expression and peaceful assembly
    On May 9, 2023, the House of Representatives conducted its second reading of the proposed law on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and Mohamed al-Halbousi, Speaker of the House of Representatives, may call for a public vote on the law at any time.
    Moreover, amendments to the two bills are currently being discussed by lawmakers privately, according to individuals who participated in the discussions and saw new language proposed in the drafts, but these amendments have not been made public, and it is not clear if they will be made available to the Iraqi people. See the final version of the two dangerous bills before a possible vote on them. 
    Haider Hamzouz, Executive Director of Ansam Network, said: “It is unacceptable that we in Iraq today suffer from a lack of access to information about draft laws under consideration by Parliament. Access to information is a basic human right, and it is one of the basic factors for the rule of law, in order to enable citizens to participate effectively in political life and to fight corruption.”
    The draft law prohibits “defaming religions, sects, and sects,” and anyone proven to have “publicly insulted a ritual, a symbol, or a person that is revered, glorified, or respected by a religious sect,” faces a prison sentence of up to 10 years, and a fine of up to 10,000,000 dinars. Iraqi ($7,600).
    Given that religious symbols play a prominent role in the main political parties in Iraq, banning criticism of them will severely limit people’s exercise of their right to freedom of expression, and under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, when a state party imposes restrictions on the exercise of freedom of expression, these Restrictions The right itself is at risk, and the relationship between the right and the limitation and between the rule and the exception must not be reversed. 
    The bill also allows the authorities to ban public gatherings, unless prior permission is obtained from the authorities at least five days in advance. It does not say what criteria the Iraqi authorities will apply in approving or banning protests, in effect giving them the power to ban all protests.
    In its authoritative interpretation of Article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on freedom of assembly, the UN Human Rights Committee has stressed in its General Comment No. 37 that “the requirement to apply for permission from the authorities undermines the notion that peaceful assembly is a fundamental right. If national laws still provide for licensing systems, these systems should be used, in practice, as notification systems, with the license granted automatically unless there are compelling reasons not to do so.”
    Protesters in Iraq are already facing repression at the hands of the security services, and this risk increases any time the authorities consider a protest unauthorized, as they almost always resort to the use of force to break up such protests. Amnesty International has previously documented how at least 600 protesters were killed and thousands more injured during nationwide anti-government protests in 2019, after security forces used lethal force.
    Monitor freedom of expression online
    The government reintroduced the Information Crimes Bill to the House of Representatives in November 2022. Under the vaguely worded proposed law, anyone found guilty of “fueling sectarian tensions or strife” or “undermining the country’s independence, unity, safety, or economic interests, or political, military or supreme security,” could face up to life imprisonment and a fine of up to 50 million Iraqi dinars (approximately $38,000).
    Bisan Fakih concluded, "In April 2023, the Iraqi government reaffirmed its promise to Amnesty International that it would guarantee public freedoms, yet its actions in Parliament are not in line with this affirmation."
    Source: Amnesty International
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