Iraq: GCHR's 15th periodic report on human rights violations during popular protests




This is the 15th periodic report of the Gulf Center for Human Rights (GCHR) on human rights violations in Iraq. The report sheds light on the assassinations of human rights activists and journalists in Iraq, as part of the continuous targeting campaigns against them and all those who criticise the current situation, which is characterised by instability and lack of respect for the public freedoms of citizens. The report also documents the violence against peaceful demonstrators who are protesting corruption and poor public services in the country that Iraqis have suffered for decades. This report also documents the demonstrations that took place to call on the Iraqi government to hold the killers of the demonstrators accountable and refer them to the judiciary for a fair trial.

Civil society activists assassinated



After the assassination of prominent human rights defender Ihab Jawad Al-Wazni, head of the Karbala Coordination for Civil Movement, a wave of protests escalated in the country, amid demands by demonstrators to reveal his killers and the killers of all civil society activists and protesters.

Al-Wazni was assassinated by unknown gunmen in front of his home in the centre of the city of Karbala.

Security cameras documented his assassination by two gunmen who were riding a motorcycle in a fortified security area, during an attack similar to the assassination of prominent journalist and security expert Dr. Hisham Al-Hashemi on 06 July 2020.

Activists in Karbala who are colleagues of Al-Wazni told GCHR that when he was killed "Al-Wazni was returning from a meeting with the demonstrators to maintain the momentum of the protests and mobilise for large demonstrations during the coming period."

The assassination of Al-Wazni aroused widespread interest and a large reaction in Iraq, and the hashtag (#Ihab_Al-Wazni) was trending on social media. Days later, activists published a new hashtag (#Who_Killed Me?) with pictures of Al-Wazni, activists and journalists who were assassinated, in an attempt to pressure the government to hold the perpetrators accountable.

On 14 June 2021, demonstrators hung up banners with the hashtag phrase in the districts and neighbourhoods of Karbala, along with a picture of Al-Wazni and other activists who were killed. On 18 May 2021, demonstrators in Basra also hung up a picture of Al-Wazni as part of the "I am Iraqi, who killed me?" campaign.

That wasn’t enough for the activists, so they hung banners bearing the phrase "Who killed me? I am Iraqi" in a number of Iraqi provinces, in an indication of the growing anger among the protesters and the heightened pressure on the authorities to reveal the killers.

Nine days before his death, Al-Wazni participated in a demonstration in Karbala calling for the disclosure of corruption in the Turkish Hospital. He appeared in a video clip denouncing the failure to re-open the hospital after it caught on fire, despite the governorate’s need for it.

On 12 May 2021, Al-Wazni’s family announced in a press release that they "will not hold a condolence meeting, nor will there be a memorial service, until the killers are punished." The activist's family gave a speech in the city of Karbala, in which they demanded the governor, the operations commander, and the police chief to resign from their positions, and also demanded that "the killers of our son be revealed."

On 13 May 2021, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi said, "The killers of the martyr activist Ihab Al-Wazni in Karbala will face the same fate as the killers of Ahmed Abdul-Samad in Basra and the rest of the martyrs for the crime they committed against our people and our youth."

Despite Al-Kadhimi’s statements and the announcement by the Security Media Cell that, "The Karbala Governorate police have mobilised their efforts, in search of the terrorist elements who assassinated civil activist Ihab Al-Wazni,” no results have been announced, and the authorities have not revealed who killed him.

On 10 May 2021, the Commission for Human Rights in Iraq remarked, "The assassination of civil activist Ihab Al-Wazni in the holy Governorate of Karbala came as a continuation of the series of assassinations against activists and free-speech proponents."



On 10 May 2021, journalist Ahmed Hassan (photo above) miraculously survived an assassination attempt in Al-Diwaniyah city, capital of Al-Qadisiyah Governorate, southern Iraq. Al-Furat satellite channel, for which Hassan has been a correspondent for 15 years, broadcast a video clip of the moment when its reporter was shot in the head with live bullets. Hassan appeared in the video while parking his car after returning to his home in Al-Shamiya district of Al-Diwaniyah.

Due to the seriousness of his condition, Hassan was transferred to Baghdad in an ambulance, where a specialised medical team at the Neurosurgery Hospital performed an emergency operation, during which a part of his skull bone was removed and the bleeding in different areas of his brain was stopped. He was then transferred to intensive care.

Hassan appears in television reports, conveying the suffering of citizens and the poor in Al-Diwaniyah Governorate, where he resides. The day before his assassination, he was preparing a report on bakeries and their employees in Al-Diwaniyah, according to one of his colleagues who spoke to GCHR.



On 22 May 2021, gunmen assassinated civil society activist Hisham Al-Hijazi (photo above) in Al-Tarmiyah district, north of Baghdad Governorate. Al-Hijazi heads the Tarmiyah Youth Voluntary Group, which works to provide humanitarian aid and implement relief campaigns.

A relative of Al-Hijazi’s who spoke with GCHR noted that, "Al-Hijazi was one of the prominent activists who carried out relief and aid campaigns in his city. He was keen to help the poor, but the hands of betrayal took him."

He added, "Al-Hijazi decided to run in the upcoming elections, but unfortunately he was assassinated for reasons we believe are political and related to his civic activities."

In this video, an Iraqi citizen who was helped by Al-Hijazi says, "No one helped me when I lived in the street and my house got demolished, except Al-Hijazi who came and helped me even though he did not know me. He collected about 10 million Iraqi dinars and built me ​​a house and saved me, I call for Al-Kadhimi to punish whoever killed him.”



On 23 May 2021, civil society activist Imad Al-Ogaili (photo above) survived an assassination attempt with an explosive device in the city of Nasiriyah, the capital of Dhi Qar Governorate, southern Iraq. The bomb was planted inside his car on Kornish Street in the centre of the city, and exploded when he was riding in the car, which led to him being injured and taken to hospital for treatment.

Al-Ogaili, one of the most active and prominent activists in Al-Haboubi Square in Dhi Qar Governorate, participated in the protests continuously, and called for the need to maintain the popular movement.  



On 28 May 2021, civil society activist and paramedic Intisar Nahi (photo above) announced that she had survived an assassination attempt in the capital, Baghdad. She said on her Twitter account, "A gunman riding a motorcycle shot me, and I ran away, but I was wounded in the hand." Nahi called for preserving the ongoing popular protests and never retreating.

Nahi was previously kidnapped on 25 December 2020, when she left Tahrir Square in central Baghdad, and later spoke of being tortured. Nahi is considered one of the prominent paramedics in Tahrir Square who helped the demonstrators during the past year and a half.

It is noteworthy that in February 2021 GCHR documented the abduction of Nahi in its 11th periodic report.



On 04 June 2021, journalist and civil society activist Imran Kamel Al-Safi (photo above), a member of the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate, and his brother, peaceful protester Adel Kamel Al-Safi, survived an assassination attempt in Dhi Qar Governorate that targeted them while they were in their restaurant located in Nasiriyah city near Al-Haboubi Square, which is the stronghold of the demonstrators. He spoke with great anger about what happened in a video he posted on his Facebook page while in the hospital at his brother's side as he was receiving treatment, saying how the Iraqi security forces did not protect them. He added that the restaurant's cameras captured the assailants on video in front of the restaurant, where one of them was carrying a pistol and the other was carrying a knife and wearing a black uniform. He also said that "the state was only watching us and did not protect us."

Al-Safi uses his Facebook page to support the popular movement and publish his views on public issues of concern to citizens. On 12 June 2021, he posted on his Facebook page a comment saying, "I wish there was a real application and enforcement of the law, so Nasiriyah is in chaos." This was in response to a speech delivered by Prime Minister Al-Kadhimi during his visit to Dhi Qar Governorate and his meeting with local officials, including security leaders, in which he stated, "What is required is to impose order in the province, which did not protect us."

Civil society activists arrested

The Iraqi authorities continue to arrest peaceful civil society activists, despite the fact that Prime Minister Al-Kadhimi recommended in earlier times that they should not be arrested, but these practices continued up until the writing of this report.



On 11 May 2021, the security forces in the city of Karbala arrested civil activist Ahmed Al-Qabtan (photo above) near Al-Ahrar Square in Karbala, after he participated in demonstrations calling for the detection of the killers of his fellow activist, Ihab Al-Wazni. Al-Qabatan is one of the prominent activists in the governorate, who has participated in the protests since it began in October 2019.

Hours after his arrest, the authorities released him. He wrote on his Facebook account the following, "After my house was raided at 2 pm and my family was terrorised by the Karbala intelligence service, I got out, thank God. Thank you to everyone who supported me and stood behind me, my relatives, friends and the cause companions in Karbala and the rebellious governorates.”



On 13 May 2021, the security forces in Babylon Governorate arrested civil society activist Durgham Khreibet (photo above), during a campaign they carried out against protesters in the governorate. He is one of the prominent activists in the peaceful demonstrations and sit-in square in Babylon. Hours later, when he was released, he wrote on his Twitter account the following: "I did not lower my head and my eyes did not cry, despite the torture and the offensive words that I was subjected to, however I lowered my head out of respect and my eyes shed tears of joy when I came out of the Intelligence door and saw hundreds of my brothers who overwhelmed me with their hugs, kisses and tears. I feel so powerless, it was inexpressible, my only fear was to go out and find myself alone."

Peaceful demonstrations continue

The assassination of Ihab Jawad Al-Wazni aroused the anger of protesters; hundreds of people in a number of southern governorates took to the streets a few hours after his assassination, demanding that his killers, and those of other protesters, be held accountable. On 09 May 2021, hundreds of people demonstrated in the Governorates of Karbala and Najaf, less than two hours after the funeral of Al-Wazni. GCHR monitored clashes between protesters and security forces in Karbala Governorate.

On 09 May 2021, dozens of people demonstrated in the Governorates of Diwaniyah and Dhi Qar, in protest against the killing of Al-Wazni. They burned tires and cut off roads leading to Al-Sa'a Square in front of the local government building, and the same situation occurred in Al-Haboubi square in Dhi Qar Governorate.

This video clip shows major clashes near the local government building in Babylon Governorate, between the Federal Police and the demonstrators who came out to demand their rights and express their dissatisfaction with the deteriorating conditions, and the government authorities' inability to protect civilians from assassinations.

In all these demonstrations, the Iraqi security forces used excessive violence against the angry protesters in the Governorates of Karbala, Najaf, Babylon, Al-Muthanna and Wasit, arresting a number of them, while firing live bullets to disperse them and beating some of them with batons.

On 20 May 2021, a number of civil society activists in Karbala governorate spoke to GCHR, stressing that the government ignored their demands and neglected the assassinations of their colleagues, accusing the government of carrying out an operation to "cover up the killers."



On 25 May 2021, demonstrators renewed their protests in Tahrir Square in central Baghdad, coming from the central and southern governorates in an attempt to renew the mass protests that took place on 25 October 2019. On 25 October 2019, a group of demonstrators tried to storm the fortified Green Zone, where the government headquarters are located, as well as its headquarters in the central and southern governorates. However, the security forces used excessive violence to repel them, including live bullets, sound bombs, and tear gas canisters, which, according to press reports, led to the killing of 40 peaceful demonstrators and the injury of 2,000.

At least tens of thousands of people participated in the protests in May 2021, after large mobilisation campaigns on social networking sites using the following hashtags: "Those who are living are back, Who Killed Me?, Return of the popular protests."

While the protests started peacefully from their early hours, the Iraqi forces, represented by law enforcement, attacked the protesters on the evening of 25 May 2021, when medical authorities and security sources announced the killing of a peaceful protester by security forces' bullets and the injury of 28 others.



An 18-year-old protester, Mohammed Baqir Jassim (photo on the left, raising the Iraqi flag high), who came from the city of Al-Diwaniyah to participate in the protests in Baghdad on 25 May 2021, lost his life after the security forces shot him in the head. In the middle photo he is seen raising a picture of his fellow peaceful demonstrator Ali Ihab Ali Al-Moussawi, also from Al-Diwaniyah, who lost his life on 25 October 2020, while participating in the local protests. He was 19 years old. On 26 May 2021, a symbolic funeral was held for Jassim in Al-Diwaniyah (photo on the right), in which fellow protesters and a large number of residents of the governorate participated.



On 25 May 2021, civil society activists and members of the Iraqi House, Ahmed Al-Rikabi and Al-Farouq Al-Salihi, were attacked in one of the alleys of Bab Al-Sharqi adjacent to Tahrir Square, after participating in mass demonstrations in central Baghdad.

Al-Rikabi (photo on the left) suffered severe bleeding after being stabbed by "unidentified persons" who also stole his mobile phone and personal belongings. Al-Rikabi's colleagues told GCHR, "Unidentified persons stabbed him during his participation in the protests. We were not able to identify them because of the chaos and pursuit by the security forces, who supposed to be chasing the perpetrators.”

Al-Rikabi contributed strongly to the loud protests that took place in Tahrir Square since their beginning in October 2020. He is seen with his mother in the Tahrir Square tunnel in the photo in the middle above. His mother supported the popular movement and was preparing food for the protesters in Tahrir Square.

As for his colleague Al-Salihi (photo on the right), he suffered broken bones due to several severe blows with iron bars.

On 24 May 2021, he tweeted, "No matter where we gather to breathe freedom, the important thing is Baghdad will be filled with free people tomorrow. For the love of God and the homeland, we will fill Iraq with hope again." He also uses his Facebook page to support the popular movement and its goals and to combat sectarianism.

On 28 May 2021, armed men targeted the homes of demonstrators, Yousif Jubran (photo on the left) and Murtada Salman (photo in the middle), with hand grenades in the city of Kufa, Najaf Governorate, southern Iraq. Activists told GCHR, "The Salman and Jubran families experienced terrifying times, children and women were terrified after the simultaneous attack on the two houses."

On 05 June 2021, civil society activist Anas Malik Abdulrazzaq Al-Ghazi (photo on the right) died in Dhi Qar Governorate, more than a year after he was hit in the head by Iraqi forces shooting at protesters near the Zaytoun Bridge in Dhi Qar Governorate. He was an employee of the Ministry of Electricity, who was married and had four children.

A source close to their family said, "The demonstrator Anas Al-Ghazi died today of his injury after the delay in transporting him outside Iraq for treatment as a result of his suffering from diabetes before he was shot by a machine gun during the Nasiriyah protests on 28 November 2019.

" He added, "Al-Ghazi's leg was cut off as a result of his injury, and he suffered from complications from the injury, and it was hoped that he would be transferred to India for treatment, but procedures in the official departments disrupted his trip, until he died this morning." He explained that he is a "father of four children and lives in the slums."

Journalist attacked and satellite TV channel threatened



On 28 May 2021, a correspondent of Al-Hurra channel in Karbala Governorate, Haider Hadi (photo above), survived an assassination attempt in the centre of Karbala city, capital of the governorate.

People close to him said that "four-wheel drive vehicles without license plates surrounded him near the tax bridge in Karbala and tried to take him down by force, before people gathered, forcing the gunmen to flee."

On 31 May 2021, the director of Al-Taghier Satallite Channel, Akram Zangana, ordered the evacuation of its office in Baghdad, located on Al-Zaytoun Street in Al-Mansour city, by all its employees, after a "fabricated" video clip was circulated on social media in which one of the channel's broadcasters appears to be criticising militant groups. The main channel is located in the Jordanian capital, Amman, and follows in particular the various news about Iraq (the channel's logo is in the photo on the right).

GCHR contacted one of the employees of Al-Taghier TV office in Baghdad, who informed us that all the employees left the office building after the channel's director and owner received several SMSs that included threats of "slaughter" of the director, his son and members of the team.

Recommendations:

GCHR calls on the Iraqi government to:

Fulfill its obligations to protect all civil society activists and peaceful protesters;
Provide protection for journalists and media workers;
Investigate and reveal the killers of demonstrators and announce the results of the investigations with full transparency; and
Train the security forces how to deal peacefully with protesters.

-gc4hr


PM:05:58:15/06/2021




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