Baghdad bans beer: why new Iraqi prohibition is an ominous
sign
Niqash reports (September 13th): Unexpected raids
on Baghdad’s bars, as well as beaten customers, shocked locals. But it’s not
just drinkers who are upset. Activists say it’s the government’s latest plan to
curb personal freedoms while MPs pondering re-election in the mainly-Muslim
nation haven’t said a word.
One eyewitness told NIQASH that the raiders had been
violent. “They were brutal,” he said. “They entered and told us all to get out
immediately. They then went around smashing everything up, including tables and
chairs. And then those who were guarding the entrance started beating the
people who were trying to leave with sticks and their rifle butts.”
Witch-hunt in Iraq
BBC reports (September 12th): In post-Saddam
Iraq, gay men and women have been systematically targeted for death by
extra-judicial militias - with the co-operation of the democratically elected
government, says Ali Hilli, founder of the London-based group, Iraqi LGBT.
Ex-minister slams Iraq PM for tolerating graft
AFP reports (September 15th): The first minister
to quit Iraqi premier Nuri al-Maliki's unity government criticized the prime
minister for turning a blind eye to worsening corruption among his loyalists,
in an interview with AFP.
Former communications minister Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi, who
resigned on August 27, added he was holding documents pointing to graft within
the government, but declined to give details, insisting instead they would be
released at an unspecified future date.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iN6sjsj70FmocIuIs7m74RLQlpuw?docId=CNG.a99026c3455803d7421133e213c566d2.221
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