We call on those states responsible for the invasion and occupation of Iraq to terminate their illegal and immoral war, and express our solidarity with the Iraqi people in their struggle for peace, justice and self-determination.

In particular, we demand:

  1. An immediate end to the US and UK-led occupation of Iraq;
  2. Urgent action to fully address the current humanitarian crises facing Iraq’s people, including help for the more than three million refugees and displaced persons;
  3. An end to all foreign interference in Iraq's affairs, including its oil industry, so that Iraqis can exercise their right to self-determination;
  4. Compensation and reparations from those countries responsible for war and sanctions on Iraq;
  5. Prosecution of all those responsible for war crimes, human rights abuses, and the theft of Iraq's resources.

We demand justice for Iraq.

This statement was adopted by the Justice for Iraq conference in London on 19th July 2008. We plan to publish this more widely in future. If you would like to add your name to the list of supporters please contact us.

Sunday 13 March 2011

Latest Iraq protests

Protests

Iraqis rally in Baghdad, media banned from live coverage

Al Sumaria reports (March 8th): Hundreds of Iraqis rallied on Monday in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square in protest against lack of services. Demonstrators are calling to dissolve the provincial council and bring all parties involved in corruption to justice. 

Iraqi security forces banned media from covering manifestations live on air.
 

Iraq Shuts Office of Protest Organizers

NY Times reports (March 7th): Two political parties that led demonstrations in Baghdad over the past two weeks said Monday that security forces controlled by Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki had ordered them to close their offices. Officials for the Iraqi Nation Party and the Iraqi Communist Party said in interviews that dozens of armed security forces had come to their offices, two days after another round of demonstrations.

Iraqi Kurdish protesters to press demands for freedoms and transparency
Azzaman reports (March 11th): Tens of thousands of Iraqi Kurds have risen against their factional leaders, demanding transparency and more freedoms.
The demonstrations have so far concentrated in the Kurdish Province of Sulaimaniya but anger and resentment of policies pursued by the Kurdish region’s government are triggering unrest across the current Kurdish administration.

Iraq Kurds protest, man tries to set himself ablaze

Reuters report (March 11th): A protester tried to set himself on fire in Iraq's semi-autonomous northern Kurdish zone, where demonstrators have camped out on a square to call for the ouster of the powerful regional administration.
Protests were also held in several other Iraqi cities, although numbers were smaller than in previous weeks and there was no major violence.

Iraq protesters call for jobs and better services

AFP report (March 11th): Hundreds of Iraqi protesters demanded jobs and better basic services, in the latest challenge to the government as a wave of popular uprisings sweeps across the Arab world.
Some 500 protesters turned up in Baghdad's Tahrir Square and about as many in the city of Fallujah west of the capital.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110311/wl_mideast_afp/iraqpoliticsunrest


Iraqi protesters accuse security forces of detaining, beating demonstrators
Canadian Press reports (March 11th): Several Iraqis among a crowd of protesters in Baghdad accused security forces of detaining and beating them for taking part in earlier demonstrations calling for better services and a corruption-free government.
The new accusations came from three protesters gathered in Baghdad's Tahrir Square — one of at least four demonstrations Friday morning in major Iraqi cities. The largest rally was in northern Kurdish city of Sulaimaniyah, with an estimated turnout of 4,000.
Protester Sami Majid, 23, said he was among crowds during a deadly demonstration in Baghdad on Feb. 25, which was billed as the Iraqi "Day of Rage," when he was detained by police who held him at a military base in the capital's east.
"They beat and kicked me, then forced me to sign a commitment that I would not participate in demonstrations or raise riots," Majid said. He joined about 300 other protesters at Tahrir Square who held the soles of their shoes in the air — a sign of disrespect in the Middle East — and shouted, "Liar, liar, Maliki!" in an affront to the prime minister.

Iraqi activists' torture allegations spark fears for detained protesters


Amnesty International reports (March 10th): A group of anti-government protesters missing since they were arrested this week in Baghdad are feared to be at risk of torture, after other recently released protestors told Amnesty International they were tortured in detention.
  
At least 10 people were detained on Monday while returning home from a Baghdad protest against unemployment, government corruption and poor social services. 
  
The arrests came as other protesters who were detained last month told Amnesty International that they were tortured in detention. 

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