Powerful Tools: Meeting Diwaniya’s Only Female Furniture Maker
Manar al-Zubaidi, NIQASH 20.07.2017 | Diwaniya In Iraq, working on furniture is typically a man’s job. But one independent woman in Diwaniya is reupholstering and sandpapering her way through that wooden ceiling. When Janat Mohammed’s mother died around seven months ago, she was depressed for a long time. In trying to fill up her spare time and […]
Meeting Iraqi Kurdistan’s Lone Water Keeper
Maaz Farhan, NIQASH, 19/07/2017 Iraqi Kurdistan could have a serious water problem by 2025, authorities say. One Sulaymaniyah man is using his skills as an artist and video maker to highlight pollution in local waterways. Even the fish don’t get to swim where they want to in Iraqi Kurdistan, says Nabil Musa, a 40-year-old local […]
Eid in Mosul: A Youth Initiative Brings Together People from all over Iraq to Visit Mosul during Eid
After three years of forced isolation from its motherland imposed by Daesh, Mosul re-emerged this June to celebrate its first Eid since liberation. Many citizens from all governorates of Iraq participated in the celebration which was part of a youth initiative called ‘Eid in Mosul’. The ‘convoy of freedom’, as organizers called the event, was […]
Mosul After Liberation: Ensuring that Civll Society has a Voice
Al Abadi’s declaration on 9 July 2017 that Mosul had been liberated from Daesh sent waves of joy and relief throughout much of Iraq. Celebrations occurred across the country to mark the release of Mosul from the brutal and violent grip of Daesh. Since 2014, when Al Baghdadi declared a caliphate from the now destroyed […]
Key Factors which Impact the Protection and Safety of Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs)
On 7 and 8 July 2017, women activists from across Iraq gathered to participate in two focus groups organized by the Iraqi Women Journalists Forum. These meetings provided participants the opportunity to meet and discuss factors affecting the protection and safety of women human rights defenders (WHRDs). Support for WHRDs is a primary concern for […]
Hobby Lobby: US Arts-and-Crafts Retail Chain Ordered to Pay $US3m Over Smuggled Iraqi Artefacts
Source: ABC American arts-and-crafts chain Hobby Lobby has agreed to pay a $US3 million federal fine and forfeit thousands of ancient Iraqi artefacts smuggled from the Middle East that the Government alleges were intentionally mislabelled, US federal prosecutors have said. Prosecutors filed a civil complaint in New York in which the Oklahoma City-based corporation consented […]
The Cross-Sectarian, King-Making Alliance Planned For Next Iraqi Elections
Mustafa Habib / Niqash One of Iraq’s most powerful political groupings, the Sadrist movement, is trying to form a new alliance that may unite secular, Sunni and Kurdish parties. It would be a first for Iraq. But it could also be a trap. The Sadrist movement has had a busy few months. The Iraqi political […]
The Colour Of Peace: The Young Artists Erasing Extremist History In Central Iraq
Kamal al-Ayash, Niqash A group of art students and their teacher is traveling around Fallujah, erasing slogans on schools and in public places, put there by the extremist Daesh group. Since April this year a strange group of men have been touring the streets of the central Iraqi city of Fallujah. They are an art […]
Amnesty says Iraq and Allies Violated International Law in Mosul Battle
Source: Reuters Reporting by: Stephen Kalin; Editing by Paul Tait Amnesty International said on Tuesday it had identified a pattern of attacks by Iraqi forces and the U.S.-led military coalition backing them in the battle for Mosul that violated international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes. The rights group said in a report […]
After Cutting of Water Flows, Iraqis Turn to Protest against Iranian Dams
This week, a group of protesters demonstrated near the Iranian Consulate in Sulaymaniyah. Their issue: Iranian dams that have stemmed the water flows to the Kurdistan Region. The particular reason is the construction of the hydro-electric Sardasht Dam in Iran. Starting from June 23 2017 this Dam had lead to a reduction of 80% in […]
The Fight for the Northern Iraq-Syria Border
Michael Knights – Washington Institute At the symbolic level, Iran and its proxies are achieving great success in planting their flags along this contested frontier, but real control will entail the much tougher task of establishing permanent bases and logistical arrangements. The Iraq-Syria border has emerged in recent months as the hottest piece of real estate […]
Iraq Alert: Breaking the Cycle of Division, Justice for all Iraqis
Report by PAX and Impunity Watch This Alert addresses worrying trends observed in current stabilisation and transitional justice efforts in Iraq. As the military campaign against ISIS in Iraq reaches a critical stage, strategies to achieve justice for victims of grave human rights abuses tend to remain selective, ill adapted to local needs and disconnected […]