[Published here March 29, 2021]
Hassanein Mohsen spent months protesting against corruption in Iraq. He also lodged complaints against officials. But now he is shunned as a whistleblower and sees only one way out: emigration.
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Killing of Iraq expert stirs fear of new violent phase | AFP
[Co-written with AFP Baghdad bureau chief Sarah Benhaida and published here July 8, 2020]
Baghdad (AFP) – The killing of jihadism expert Hisham al-Hashemi has stirred fears Iraq is entering a dark and violent phase, as boiling tensions between pro-Iran factions and the government reach new heights.
At Iraq protests, a cleric’s tweets split his followers | AFP
[Published here February 3, 2020]
Baghdad (AFP) – Sporting their signature blue caps, the men marched triumphantly through Baghdad’s protest camp. The die-hard followers of firebrand cleric Moqtada Sadr were back in Tahrir Square, and they wanted everyone to know it.
Iraqi families fear worst after protesters abducted | AFP
[Published here December 11, 2019]
Baghdad (AFP) – “Last seen: Friday, 9:18pm.” About an hour after gunmen began attacking a protest encampment in Iraq’s capital at the weekend, Mustafa — who had slept there for weeks — went offline.
In the days since, the 20-year-old demonstrator has not reappeared on messaging application WhatsApp, or in real life.
Iraqis shatter taboos in rage at Iran, but bloodshed may follow | AFP
[Published here November 29, 2019]
Baghdad (AFP) – By torching Tehran’s consulates and slapping their muddy shoes against photographs of top Iranian officials, Iraqi protesters have shattered a taboo on public criticism of their influential eastern neighbour.
In Iraq protests, counting the dead is a dangerous job | AFP
[Published here on October 31, 2019]
Baghdad (AFP) – One protester killed. Then five. Suddenly, more than 40. As Iraq’s anti-government demonstrations turned bloody, a network of rights defenders and medics began documenting deaths to fill a gag order on casualty numbers.
Iraq PM’s fate on the line as toll from protests rises | AFP
[Published here on October 30, 2019]
Baghdad (AFP) – Iraq’s leaders were in tense talks on Wednesday over the ouster of the country’s embattled premier, as a rights commission said the latest week of anti-government demonstrations has left 100 dead.
More than 200 mass graves found in former IS territory in Iraq, UN says | AFP
[Published here November 6, 2018]
More than 200 mass graves containing up to 12,000 victims have been found so far in Iraq that could hold vital evidence of war crimes by the Islamic State group, the UN said Tuesday.
The United Nations in Iraq (UNAMI) and its human rights office said they had documented a total of 202 mass graves in parts of western and northern Iraq held by IS between 2014 and 2017.
New Syrian land law raises red flags for rights groups, lawyers | AFP
[Published here May 4, 2018]
Beirut (AFP) – Rights groups and specialists are sounding the alarm over a new Syrian law on urban development, saying millions of displaced risk never returning home after losing claim to land left behind.
