UN Human Rights Chief “Appalled” at Iraq Mass Execution
UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner Geneva, 27 September 2017 GENEVA (27 September 2017) – The mass hanging of 42 prisoners on Sunday 24 September at Al Hoot prison in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah raises “massive concerns” over the country’s use of the death penalty, the UN human rights chief said […]
Swimming Expedition calls for Protection of Lake Dukan
Dukan Lake in Sulaymaniyah Governorate is one of the most popular picnick spots in the Kurdistan Region. The cost to the environment however is high: picnickers leave behind rubbish,a lot of which goes directly into the lake. Others use the lake as a car washing spot, while water is being pumped to houses on the […]
What’s Next after Kurdish Independence Vote?
Amberin Zaman, Al-Monitor, 25 September 2017 Erbil — Defying pressure from the United States and regional powers Turkey and Iran, millions of Kurds cast their ballots today in a historic referendum on long-fought Kurdish independence. Massoud Barzani, president of Iraqi Kurdistan, who is leading the independence drive, exuded confidence after voting at a polling station close to the […]
Iraqi Kurds Polarised as Region holds Historic Referendum on Independence
Martin Chulov, The Guardian, 25 September 2017 Excitement has been building in Erbil, where veteran Kurdish president Massoud Barzani is popular, but 150 miles to the east, in Sulaimaniya, it’s business as usual. Its streets bustled with Sunday shoppers. Its teahouses brimmed with men who preferred playing dominoes to talking politics. And on boulevards and […]
Iraqi Activists Stand in Solidarity with the People of Hasankeyf
In more than 15 cities across the world, on the Global Action Day for Hasankeyf (23 September), actions were organized to protest against the Ilisu Dam, the controversial dam being built on the Tigris River which will have disastrous consequences for the ancient town of Hasankeyf. Earlier this year, in the town the Zeynel Bey, […]
“Baghdad, the City of Peace” … Young Iraqis Defy Violence
Alhurra On 16 August 2017, at a park on the Tigris River, hundreds of Iraqis gathered to celebrate the seventh annual Baghdad City of Peace Carnival, in the middle of Baghdad, where violence has been a constant presence for years. “The aim of this Carnival is to change the negative image of Baghdad,” one of […]
Training on the Dangers of the Iraqi Cybercrimes Draft Law
A new draft law on cybercrimes will soon be discussed in the Iraqi Parliament. Under this law it would be possible to hold anyone accountable for a simple post on social media. The working group on ‘Media’ based in Baghdad (and managed by Information Center for Research and Development together with the Iraqi Network for […]
A Mosaic: The Experience of Building Peace, Day by Day
The Aley district is one of the beautiful “green lungs” of Lebanon, a charming hilly area located 15 kilometers south of Beirut. The absence of the city’s never-ending traffic, together with an explosion of trees and flowers, as well as the delicate cream color of many of the buildings in Aley — all in a typical […]
The Iraqi Women Journalists Forum Reviews the Draft Law of Social Insurance
By ICSSI Secretariat – September 2017 On 9th of September, the Iraqi Women Journalists Forum held a seminar in Baghdad to discuss the draft law of social insurance in Iraq, recently submitted to parliament and currently still under discussion. The seminar revealed two distinct responses to the draft law: there is the positive view of […]
End the Cross-Border Bombings in Iraqi Kurdistan
Human rights report by Christian Peacemaker Team, September 2017 (The full report can be downloaded here in PDF) Decades of bombing along the borders of Iraqi Kurdistan and its neighboring countries of Turkey and Iran has created an ongoing human rights and humanitarian crisis for the village population and migrant families inhabiting these regions. Accounts […]
Iraqi Kurds’ Referendum for Political Relevance
The independence referendum for the Kurdistan Region reflects not just struggles with Baghdad but intra-Kurdish political rivalries that could encourage further conflict. BY: DENISE NATALI – Carnegie Endowment The Iraqi Kurds’ independence referendum, planned for September 25, reflects unresolved disputes over political authority between Baghdad and Erbil. It is embedded in the “right to […]
Call to “2nd Global Action Day” for Hasankeyf on 23rd September 2017!
Initiative to keep Hasankeyf Alive, 30 August 2017 We call activists, social movements, NGO’s and all others in the world to join the second global action day for the defense of Hasankeyf and the Tigris River on 23rd September 2017! It is under threat by the Ilisu Project; lets protest this one of most controversial […]