Appeal for International Solidarity to Protect Freedom of Expression in Iraq
24 June 2021 The “Protect Iraqi Human Rights Defenders Now!” campaign supports freedom of expression and freedom of the press throughout all of Iraq. Today, freedom of expression in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) is under attack. Five Badinan activists and journalists—Sherwan Sherwani, Hariwan Essa, Guhdar Zebari, Shvan Saeed, and Eyaz Karam—have been sentenced […]
From: Save the Tigris Campaign To: UNESCO World Heritage Centre Re: Threats to Ashur and Ahwar World Heritage Properties — Civil Society Concerns and Requests We write as a coalition of civil society organisations from nine countries advocating for the protection of heritage in the Tigris–Euphrates basin. We would like to express our concerns to the […]
Gender-Specific Training Helps Women Entrepreneurs in Vulnerable Economies
Al-Fanar Media why do we need gender-specific entrepreneuship programs? The question is posed by the economist Sara Cantillon, director of the Centre for Economic Justice and a professor of economics and gender at Glasgow Caledonian University’s Glasgow School for Business and Society. The answer is that female entrepreneurs face several difficulties with different gender-specific dimensions, […]
GCHR The Kurdistan Region of Iraq has witnessed continuous violations in the field of human rights, in particular freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly, including the Court of Cassation’s decision to approve six-year prison sentences against five activists and journalists. The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) has gathered information on numerous cases […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]