Iraqi Australian University Graduates Forum
Committee to Defend Human Rights
Sydney - Australia
لجنة الدفاع عن حقوق الانسان
منتـدى الجامعيين العراقي الاسترالي
19 August, 2018
لا للعنف والقوة المفرطة في مواجهة المطالب المشروعة
للحراك الشعبي في العراق
تشهد محافظات الوسط والجنوب منذ اسبوعين حركة احتجاجات واسعة استقطبت اوساطا كبيرة من الشباب وركزت مطالباتها على توفير الخدمات ومعالجة مشكلة البطالة.
المظاهرات التي انطلقت من البصرة وسرعان ما امتدت لتشمل كل محافظات الوسط والجنوب والعديد من اقضيتها ونواحيها لم تقابل منذ بداياتها من الجهات الحكومية والاحزاب المتنفذة الا بالعنت والتجاهل اللذان سرعان ما تحولا الى تعامل فظ وقسوة مفرطة استخدم فيها حتى الرصاص الحي سقط معه لحد الآن اكثر من 11 شهيد والمئات من الجرحى .وقد ترافق هذا العنف المفرط مع حملة اعتقالات وخطف شملت العديد من الناشطين كما اقدمت السلطات الحكومية في محاولة لعزل البلاد وخنق الحراك الشعبي على قطع شبكة الاتصالات -الانترنيت.
ورغم ان التظاهر والاحتجاج حق كفله الدستور العراقي في مواد عدة وتضمنته جميع شرائع حقوق الانسان والقانون الدولي الا ان السلطات المسؤولة واحزابها اصرت منذ بدء الاحتجاجات على تجريم المشاركين فيها واتهامهم بالعمالة والاندساس والتخريب بدل الانصات الى مطالبهم العادلة التي لم تركز الا على حقوق اولية كالخدمات وفرص العمل.
اننا ، في لجنة الدفاع عن حقوق الانسان - استراليا ، نعلن عن تضامننا ودعمنا الكامل للمتظاهرين ومطالبهم المشروعة وندين بشدة استعمال القوة والعنف في التعاطي معها بدلا من الاستماع لصيحات الجياع والمحرومين الذين تطاولت معاناتهم وفقدوا كل امل في وضع حد لها، ونطالب الحكومة بوضع حد لكل الممارسات العنفية لاجهزتها ومسلحي المليشيات ومحاسبة المسؤولين عن سقوط تلك الاعداد الكبيرة من الشهداء والجرحى.
اننا ندعو كل الاخيار في عراقنا والعالم وجميع الهيئات الحكومية وغير الحكومية المنظمات الحقوقية والانسانية وعلى رأسها مفوضية حقوق الانسان التابعة للامم المتحدة الى التضامن مع المتظاهرين العزل والضغط باتجاه وقف الانتهاكات الفظة لحقوق الانسان لهؤلاء المتظاهرين وتحقيق مطالبهم العادلة.
لجنة الدفاع عن حقوق الانسان - استراليا
Iraqi Australian University Graduates Forum
Dr Ahmad Alrubaie
0466110653
Iraqi Australian University Graduates Forum
Committee to Defend Human Rights
Sydney – Australia
لجنة الدفاع عن حقوق الانسان
منتـدى الجامعيين العراقي الاسترالي
19 August, 2018
Solidarity with the Iraqi People suffering from
basic depravation of services
The Iraq community in Australia witnessed lately violent attack by the Iraqi security forces against civilians demonstrating in the provinces of southern and middle parts of Iraq and in Baghdad demanding basic services. The ongoing shortages of water supply and electricity during the scorching heat waves has triggered mass demonstrations in the cities of Basra, Nasiriya, Diwania, Samawa, Amarah, Kout, Najaf, Karbala, Babylon and in Baghdad.
Massive public rallies and demonstrations are raging in Iraq demanding end to corruption in government that created mismanagement of the country’s basic resources including the supply of water and electricity as well as unemployment. The people of Iraq lost hope in the government to deliver services facing ongoing setbacks that created a situation of distrust and disillusion including the abuse of the use of power supply.
While the rights to demonstrate is in the constitution, the Iraqi security forces have been attacking demonstrators and so far killed more 11 with more than 500 casualties among innocent people on top of ongoing kidnapping, arresting and chasing other civil rights activists.
We, in the Committee to Defend Human Rights, stand in solidarity with the Iraqi people and demand end to violence used against demonstrators and civil rights activists and hold the Iraqi Government and security forces responsible in attacking civilians. The corruption in Iraq must come to end and perpetrators must face justice.
We call upon all governmental and Non governmental bodies and organisations ,UN human rights Commission (UNHRC) and all peace loving people in world to intervene and condemn ongoing violations of human rights and use of excessive force against peaceful demonstrations and help them in achieving their legitimate demands.
Committee to Defend Human Rights
Iraqi Australian University Graduates Forum
Dr Ahmad Alrubaie
0466110653
Mr Husam Shkara
0404016985
Mrs. Akram Nashi
0419413095
Iraq: Security forces deliberately attack peaceful protesters while internet is disabled
19 July 2018, 14:52 UTC
Peaceful protesters in southern Iraq and Baghdad fear authorities are deliberately disabling internet access before security forces attack and open fire on them, Amnesty International has learned.
Trusted sources told the organization they believe internet access is being cut off to prevent them sharing footage and pictures of the excessive and unnecessary force used by security forces, including the use of live ammunition, in cities in the southern governorates of the country, especially Basra.
“We are closely monitoring the escalating situation across southern Iraq and are extremely worried by reports that security forces are beating, arbitrarily detaining and even opening fire on peaceful protesters,” said Lynn Maalouf, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa.
“Deliberately disabling the internet is a sinister restriction to the right to freedom of expression and strongly indicates that the authorities have something to hide. We fear this blackout is deliberately designed to give carte blanche to the security forces to repress peaceful activists without being recorded and held accountable.”
One source in Baghdad told Amnesty International: “When there is no internet, people are being beaten and killed because we can’t upload it. Iraqis now know the value of social media. We need it to raise our voice.”
One 21-year-old man from al-Zubeir, to the west of Basra city, told Amnesty International he joined a demonstration on Sunday 15 July to protest against the ongoing lack of job opportunities in the area. He said a member of the Iraqi SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) forces confronted the protesters and started firing at them before chasing and beating them.
This is now about more than water and electricity - they are breaking us.
He said: “They wanted to beat everyone and left no one without injury. One person was shot in the leg and I saw one person bleeding from his eye. As we retreated, one of them [SWAT] grabbed me and one beat me. When I struggled away, he threw the baton at me and broke my arm. They cut off the internet so they can beat us.”
Another human rights activist in Baghdad said: “This is now about more than water and electricity - they are breaking us. They are insulting us. Is there anything worse than being taken, beaten and broken, and thrown on the street? We did not call for violence. We are peaceful.”
In the past week, witnesses in Basra governorate have reported to Amnesty International that security forces have been using tear gas and live ammunition against peaceful protesters. At least eight people are reported to have died in protests so far, according to the Iraqi Health Ministry. Witnesses also reported peaceful protesters being beaten with batons, cables and plastic hoses in attempts to disperse them.
In Baghdad on Monday 16 July, according to information obtained by Amnesty International, two protesters were arrested at around 8pm as they were leaving the demonstrations in the centre of the city. They were taken by armed men in civilian clothes who told them, “We are from the authorities”.
The protesters were dragged into a car before being blindfolded and taken to an unknown location. Later, they were beaten, tasered and interrogated about individuals who had organized the protests and asked if they belonged to extremist groups. Unable to see after their ordeal, they were subsequently forced to sign papers without being told what the contents were, and then released.
“Iraqi authorities must immediately put an end to the torture and other ill-treatment that has included beatings, harassment and intimidation of peaceful protesters by security forces and carry out prompt, independent and impartial investigations to bring all those responsible to justice. The authorities have a duty to ensure that everyone in the country can exercise their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful protest without interference,” said Lynn Maalouf.
Background
Protests in Iraq erupted on Sunday 8 July over high levels of unemployment and inadequate government services across the south of the country. The Iraqi Ministry of Defence have reported that an estimated 274 security force members have been wounded in protests to date.
The internet was cut late at night on Thursday 12 July. Although access was mostly restored on Monday 16 July, the signal reportedly remains weak across the country and several social media platforms remain blocked.