Freedom of speech and assembly under attack as over 100 killed, thousands injured and hundreds arrested

Theundersigned international, regional and Iraqi human rights organisations demandthat the authorities in Iraq immediately uphold promises to put an end toviolent reprisals against the popular protest movement taking place across thecountry, which has left over 100 people dead, with thousands more injured andhundreds detained. We call for the state to ensure that Iraqis’ rights tofreedom of assembly and expression to be respected by ensuring that there areno further attacks on protests or media offices, and to spare no effort to investigate the excessive use of force.We further call for the United Nations Human Rights Council to hold an urgentdebate or a special session to address the rights crisis in Iraq.

Peacefuldemonstrations began on 01 October in the central and southern cities of Iraq,including Baghdad, Basra, Najaf, Babylon and Diwaniya. They reiterated thedemands of previous protests that began in July 2018, calling for an end tocorruption and unemployment, denouncing poor service delivery, and building alaw-abiding state that respects the public freedomsof all citizens.

As theprotests continued in defiance of a curfew, riot police and other members of thesecurity services began to use excessive force, such as firing live ammunition directlyat crowds instead of overhead, and using stun grenades, water cannons (with hot water) and teargas against protesters. On two occasions, armoured vehicles ranover protesters. Several reports confirmed that snipers on top of buildings fatally shotprotesters, but the authorities claimed they were not state forces. These actsare in direct violation of the International Covenant on Civil and PoliticalRights, to which Iraq is a party.

Accordingto the Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights, therecorded number of victims, including protesters and security forces dead andwounded, as of midnight on 6 October includes:

• 103 dead
• 4035 wounded
• 814 people arrested
• 500 people released

Media andactivists monitoring the demonstrations reported that the real numbers couldbe much higher. Security forces alsoarrested hundreds of peaceful demonstrators and human rights defenders invarious Iraqi cities, and some of those arrested were reportedly beaten.Witnesses reported that others were arrested from inside Baghdad hospitals, despitebeing wounded, without judicial warrants.

On 4October, eight human rights defenders in Basra were arbitrarilydetained without warrant by Iraqi security forces, including humanrights defender Hussam Al-Khamisy, according to witnesses who spoke to the GulfCentre for Human Rights (GCHR) and local Iraqi rights groups. They were heldfor six hours and released only after being forced to sign a document, whichthey were not even allowed to read.

In atragic incident reported by GCHR and local Iraqi sources, on 2 October 2019,neighbours told GCHR’s Iraqi sources that they saw maskedgunmen storm the Basra apartment of humanrights defenders Hussein Adel and Sara Taleb, and shoot them dead in front oftheir two-year-old daughter. They had provided first aid to injured protesters.After taking part in popular protests in Basra earlier in 2019, the couplereported to the local police that they had received several threats by armedgroups.

Inaddition, freedom of expression and access to information are greatly at risk. On5 October, armed groups stormed satellite TV Channels Al-Arabiya, Al-Hadath, Dijlah and NRTArabic, and Dijlah remains closed for a month by order of theCommunications and Media Commission. The government shut down the internet onthe evening of 2 October for five days, as well as blocking Facebook, Twitter,WhatsApp, Instagram and other social media platforms, and Internet accessremains sporadic.

We the undersigned organisations call upon theauthorities in Iraq to abide by their international commitments, includingrecommendations to Iraq’s upcoming Universal Periodic Review, to:

1. Fulfillpromises made by the Prime Minister to conduct independent, impartial, thoroughand prompt investigations into the deaths that occurred during streetdemonstrations, with a view to disseminating the results and bringing thoseresponsible to justice in accordance with international standards;

2. Fulfill their international obligations toprotect the freedoms of assembly and expression, by allowing protesters topeacefully gather without fear of repression or arrest, and ensuring that mediamay freely operate and that access to the Internet is not blocked;

3. Promptlyinvestigate the murders of human rights defenders and protesters targeted intheir homes, with a view to disseminating the results and bringing thoseresponsible to justice in accordance with international standards;

4. Immediately andunconditionally release all peaceful protesters who have been detained andprovide medical treatment to all those who need it; and

5. Ensure that all human rights defenders andmedia are able to operate without restrictions, including judicial harassment.

Signed,

Access Now

Amnesty International

Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI)

Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)

Ceasefire Centre for Civilian Rights

CIVICUS

Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)

FIDH

Front Line Defenders

Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR)

International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)

Iraqi Al-Amal Association

Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights (IOHR), Iraqi Network forSocial Media (INSM)

Metro Center for Journalists Rights & Advocacy

PEN Center in Iraq

PEN International

Social Media Exchange (SMEX)

World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)