Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative

The Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative (ICSSI) is dedicated to bringing together Iraqi and international civil societies through concrete actions to build together another Iraq, with peace and Human Rights for all.

News

Act Now to Protect People and the Environment

International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict, 6 November 2019 The international community needs to take bold actions before, during and after armed conflicts to protect people and the environment. That is the call being made today by 102 NGOs and experts from 33 countries to mark the […]

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Join Us in Supporting the Peaceful/Nonviolent October Uprising in Iraq

Join Us, the Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative, in Supporting the Peaceful/Nonviolent October Uprising in Iraq #WITH_IRAQIS The Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative calls on the international community to show its solidarity with the peaceful/nonviolent October uprising in Iraq, sparked by the frustrations and hopes of Iraqi youth who are determined to create a better, […]

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Iraq: Gruesome String of Fatalities as New Tear Gas Grenades Pierce Protesters’ Skulls

Amnesty International CONTENT WARNING: Some of the information and imagery below is very graphic and some users might find them disturbing. The Iraqi authorities must ensure anti-riot police and other security forces in Baghdad immediately stop using two previously unseen types of tear gas grenade to kill rather than disperse protesters, Amnesty International urged today after […]

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A Call to Release the Detainees of the Peaceful Protest Movement in Iraq

Iraqi organizations and unions call for the release of detained activists of the peaceful protest movement in Iraq. The names of some of those activists are shown below. The detainees are activists of the protest movement demanding a decent and free life where job opportunities are available. These activists are demanding the reform of the […]

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Iraq: Educators Join Nationwide Demonstration

Education International The Iraqi Teachers’ Union called for a four-day strike starting on 28 October in solidarity with demonstrators urging public authorities to provide jobs, quality public services and to put an end to a political system that has failed them. The Iraqi Teachers’ Union (ITU) informed Education International (EI) that, since the beginning of […]

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UN Iraq Representative Condemns Continued Violence, Stresses National Dialogue to End ‘Vicious Cycle’

United Nations – Iraq Baghdad, 29 October 2019 – The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, condemns in the strongest terms the rising number of deaths and injuries during the demonstrations engulfing many parts of Iraq. The recent developments across many parts of Iraq, in particular in Karbala last night, […]

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“Uhud Mountain of Baghdad” A Strategic Building Remains Occupied by Protesters Despite Attempts by Security Forces to Evacuate It

Baghdad – Ahmed Al-Naimi29 October 2019For the fifth consecutive day, hundreds of Iraqi demonstrators continue to occupy the floors of the “Turkish Restaurant”, a building located between Tahrir Square and the Republic Bridge on the Tigris River in the center of Baghdad. This is a strategic location, right near the Green Zone which houses government […]

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Crowds of Students Flood the Streets of Baghdad Despite Government Threats and Curfew

AFP Army forces in charge of Baghdad announced a daily curfew (lasting from midnight to 6am) as thousands of students gathered on the streets of several cities in Iraq. From Baghdad to Basra in the south of the country, demonstrators chanted “No school, no work, until the fall of the regime”. Student protests have been […]

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Iraqis Have the Right to Protest for Better Lives, Repression and Intimidation of Human Rights Defenders Must End

On 1 October a new phase of social protests started in Iraq, this time authentic, spontaneous and very difficult for political parties or even civil society organizations to control. The protests have gradually come to be supported by a vast segment of the public as well as the main Iraqi syndicates: yesterday the Teachers’ Union […]

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3rd Kurdistan Social Forum Event in Solidarity With Struggles in Rojava and Southern Iraq

3 years since its founding, the Kurdistan Social Forum has well progressed. From 25-26 October the third edition of its annual event took place, in Erbil. The first day consisted of the Erbil Marathon, while the second day was dedicated to workshops on thematic issues. The activists from the Forum proclaimed strong solidarity with the […]

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A Call to Release Detainees of the Peaceful Protest Movement in Iraq

At dawn on 27 October 2019, in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah, unidentified persons raided the homes of a number of activists and journalists and took them to an unknown destination. This is a shocking violation of freedom of expression and we, members of the Iraqi Social Forum’s freedom of expression masar, are now […]

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Revolutionary Protests Spread Across Central and Southern Iraq and Are Ongoing

Jadaliyya By : Omar Sirri Beginning on 1 October, mass demonstrations have taken over cities and towns across central and southern Iraq. Protesters are calling for an end to the political system established in 2003. Based on ethnic and religious apportionment of government positions and ministries, this system has led to staggering levels of corruption which in […]

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