An Iraqi court sentenced a young activist accused of insulting the powerful pro-Iran paramilitaries of Hachd al-Chaabi to three years in prison, the NGO Human Rights Watch deploring the instrumentalization of justice to repress all dissent “peaceful“. AFP consulted on Wednesday December 7 a copy of the verdict handed down Monday December 5 by a Baghdad court against Haidar al-Zaidi. The 20-year-old activist, detained, can still appeal his conviction.
He was on trial for a tweet, which was deleted from his account, in which he attacked Abu Mehdi al-Mouhandis, former number two of Hachd al-Chaabi, killed in January 2020 with Iranian general Qassem Souleimani by an American armed drone on the road to Baghdad airport. Screenshots of this tweet were shared by accounts close to Hashd.
“Insult to state institutions”
Haidar al-Zaidi wrote on Facebook on Sunday that he was appearing for “insult to state institutions“, calling for a solidarity rally in front of the court. He recalled being briefly arrested in June before being released on bail.
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Denying being the source of the incriminated tweet, the young man and his father ensure that his Twitter account was hacked, HRW said on Tuesday evening in a press release. “Regardless of who posted the message, the Iraqi justice system should not be used as a tool of repression against peaceful criticism of authorities or armed actors“Laments HRW.
Made up of former paramilitaries integrated into the regular forces, the Hachd al-Chaabi can file a judicial request to claim financial compensation, according to the verdict. On social networks, users have compared this sentence to the recent release on bail granted to a businessman involved in the embezzlement of 2.5 billion dollars stolen from the tax authorities.
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In June, the UN mission in Iraq deplored a “environment of fear and intimidation“, listing several incidents “aimed at suppressing all dissent” and “perpetrated by unidentified armed elements“.
Parliament is currently considering a bill on “freedom of expression, assembly and peaceful demonstration“, submitted by the Commission on Human Rights to guarantee such freedoms “without undermining public order and morals“, According to a press release. In the fall of 2019, Iraq experienced an unprecedented protest movement denouncing endemic corruption, economic difficulties and the decline of public services. The repression with live ammunition left more than 600 dead.