On January 21st “The Democratic Movements” of Iraq met in Baghdad to focus on “Iraq’s Current Political Crisis and Vision to Overcome It.” The many organizations and political activists attending the meeting discussed several proposals, including a national campaign for civic peace and a call to establish an Iraqi Social Forum as part of the […]
Freedoms in Iraq: An Increasingly Repressive Legal Net
A Report prepared by Toby Mendel, Executive Director, Centre for Law and Democracy. Introduction Respect for basic human rights and freedoms in Iraq improved following the downfall of Saddam Hussein, and Iraq has aspirations to becoming a leader in the region in terms of democracy and human rights. An important milestone in this regard was […]
The Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative (ICSSI) urges you to support a lawsuit before the Iraqi Federal Court to abolish the so-called “Journalists’ Rights Law” recently passed by the Iraqi parliament. This law explicitly violates articles 13, 14, 38 and 46 of the Iraqi Constitution, which protect freedom of the press and freedom of expression. […]
Iraqi Youth Feel Mixture of Hope, Outrage and Anxiety as U.S. Troops Withdraw
Iraqi Youth Feel Mixture of Hope, Outrage and Anxiety as U.S. Troops Withdraw Based upon a Survey by the Center of Information for Research and Development Tammuz Organization for Social Development and The Center of Maslah for Human Resources Development University students in Iraq, ages 18 to 25, reflecting upon the U.S. military presence in their country for more than eight […]
The security is one of the most profiteering sectors in Iraq. The use of international and local private military & security companies by Iraqi Government, Foreign Embassies, Businessmen and International humanitarian organizations, among others, is becoming very common in the country. The privatization of war is a threat to the human security and human rights […]
To the American President Barak Obama Nine years ago your military invaded Iraq claiming two justifications: the existence of weapons of mass destruction and the goal of spreading democracy. The first pretext was proved absolutely false, which even former-president George Bush has admitted. This was shameful. But in the name of spreading democracy, what Iraqis […]
To the American President Barak Obama Nine years ago your military invaded Iraq claiming two justifications: the existence of weapons of mass destruction and the goal of spreading democracy. The first pretext was proved absolutely false, which even former-president George Bush has admitted. This was shameful. But in the name of spreading democracy, what Iraqis […]
Marrakech meeting: “What strategies for social movements in light of dynamic changes?”
At a time of dramatic change at both a regional and global level, “Forum des Alternatives Maroc (FMAS)” took place on the 9th and 10th of December 2011 in Marrakech, Morocco. More than 240 participants representing more than 95 networks and organizations participated in the meetings. The forum was open to participants from all over […]
Fifth Week of Nonviolence Highlights the Rights of the Child in Iraq
Ensuring opportunity, protection, and dignity for all children is crucial to building a free and democratic Iraq, and for that reason LAONF’s 5thAnnual Week of Nonviolence will focus on Children’s Rights. During a week of activities beginning on December 10, Human Rights Day, members of the nonviolence network throughout Iraq will conduct a coordinated campaign […]
Dhaka, Bangladesh, 24th November 2011 An Iraqi delegation composed by eight members of the Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative (www.iraqicivilsociety.org) took part in the South Asian Social Forum (Dhaka, 18-22 November 2011, www.wsfsouthasiabd.org) meeting local representatives of social movements, unions, professional organizations and political parties of Bangladesh. South-South coordination proved to be fundamental to break the isolation […]
Briefing by ICSSI staff (Ismaeel Dawood) South Asian Social Forum (SASF) and meeting of the World Social Forum International Council in Dhaka, Bangladesh (18 – 25th November 2011) Session on Iraq, 21st of November, 2011 During the Social Forum, a session titled “Towards the First Iraqi Social Forum” was organized by Alternatives International and ICSSI […]
Press Release November 16, 2011, Erbil, IRAQ “Another Iraq is Possible with Peace and Human Rights,” agree 250 representatives of civil society organizations who met October 8-9 in Erbil, Iraq. A final declaration from their work together has been released this week in Arabic, Kurdish, French, Italian, and English and lays out a vision for […]