We, the undersigned, are addressing Your Holiness to request that you support Iraqi activists, protestors, and the forcibly disappeared during your visit to Iraq. We are calling on your vast wisdom to be a voice for those groups, and advocate for bettering their conditions with government and community leaders during your upcoming visit to Iraq. […]
Water Transfer Projects Threaten the Lesser Zab!
savethetigris Save the Tigris Campaign is a coalition of civil society organisations from nine countries concerned with water justice in the Tigris-Euphrates basin. Our commitment is to the sustainable and equitable use of water for the sustenance of all, regardless of nationality or religion. We believe that the obstacles to this goal are rooted in […]
New Turkish Military Action Threatens Villagers Lives and Communities
On February 10-15, Turkish government carried out a new military offensive, “Claw-Eagle 2”, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The Campaign to End Cross-Border Bombings denounces this action, which is a resumption of military activities that have devastated civilians in the region for decades. We call on the governments in Ankara, Baghdad and Erbil as […]
What Does It Mean to Continue Demonstrations?
Falah-Mousa Iraq and Lebanon have political diversity that distinguishes them from many Arab countries. What makes that diversity special is that it is connected to fragile or formal democracies, and to elections that do not bring any real changes in the shape or substance of the state in both countries. Over the years, this has […]
Statement: “Protect Iraqi Human Rights Defenders NOW!”
A joint statement of the ICSSI and the newly launched campaign “Protect Iraqi HRDs NOW!“ on the sentences imposed on the human rights defenders and journalists in Iraqi Kurdistan Boston, Roma, Baghdad February 25, 2021 The Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative [ICSSI] and the campaign “Protect Iraqi HRDs NOW!” denounce the unfair trial that imposed […]
Rockets Fall in Baghdad’s Green Zone, No Injuries
al-monitor Iraq’s security media cell said the rockets were launched from al-Salaam neighborhood. Two rockets fell in Baghdad’s Green Zone, home to foreign embassies, on Monday. No casualties have been reported so far, according to Iraq’s military and the US-led coalition. A third rocket landed in the nearby al-Harithiya neighborhood, just west of the Green Zone. The rockets’ […]
Iraqi Kurdistan Sentenced 5 Journalists and Activists to 6 Years in Prison
kirkuknow Erbil court sentenced five journalists and civil activists from Erbil and Duhok for charges of “spying and attempts of coup d’eta and disorder, attorney said in a press conference on Tuesday. The suspects, jailed since October 2020 following protests asking for delayed salaries and better living conditions, attended Erbil court in a hearing session […]
Militia Attacks on US Forces in Erbil Challenges Iraqi Government
al-monitor A rocket attack on a US base in northern Iraq is putting pressure on the Iraqi government and challenging the Biden administration’s policy in Iraq. ERBIL, Iraq — At exactly 9:30 pm local time on Feb. 15, several rockets were launched on US coalition forces located inside Erbil’s international airport from the southern of the city. The […]
Iraq Finally Makes Arrests Over Killing of Anti-Government Protestors
al-monitor Iraqi security forces arrested four suspects for allegedly killing Iraqi protesters and activists. Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi announced on Feb. 15 the arrests in Basra of a group allegedly involved in the murders of Iraqi protesters and activists. “The death squad that terrorized our people in Basra and killed innocents are now in the hands of our […]
Pope’s Schedule in Iraq Reveals Two Missions
al-monitor In the first-ever papal visit to the country, Pope Francis plans to highlight the plight of Iraq’s dwindling Christian population and promote interfaith dialogue. The Vatican released the itinerary of Pope Francis’ March visit to Iraq on Monday. The schedule, packed with events and meetings with religious and political figures across the country, reveals a trip […]
Previous elections in 2018 were stained by corruption and fraud. The civil society with the support of local and international organisations is committed to ensure these acts are not repeated again. In October 2019, protestors flocked onto the streets, demanding change. The key motivation driving the Iraqi youth to march in the streets across the […]
Iraq Mourns the First Set of Remains of Yazidi Genocide Victims
AL-MONITOR More than six years after the massacre, before their burial in Sinjar on Feb. 4, Iraqis held a funeral for Yazidis who were murdered en masse by the Islamic State in 2014.An official funeral ceremony was held on Feb.4, in Baghdad’s Celebration Square to bid farewell to the remains of 104 Yazidi genocide victims killed […]