Protests in Iraq's Nasiriyah Continue as Govt Fails to Ease Tensions

Iraqi demonstrators take part in ongoing anti-government protests in Nasiriyah, Iraq January 29, 2021. (Reuters)
Iraqi demonstrators take part in ongoing anti-government protests in Nasiriyah, Iraq January 29, 2021. (Reuters)
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Protests in Iraq's Nasiriyah Continue as Govt Fails to Ease Tensions

Iraqi demonstrators take part in ongoing anti-government protests in Nasiriyah, Iraq January 29, 2021. (Reuters)
Iraqi demonstrators take part in ongoing anti-government protests in Nasiriyah, Iraq January 29, 2021. (Reuters)

Anti-government protests erupted again in Iraq’s Nasiriyah, hours after a delegation dispatched by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi to defuse the tensions left the city.

One person was killed and 36 others, including police members, were wounded when security forces used tear gas to disperse the protests.

The government has been seeking to end the protests in Nasiriyah, which erupted on Sunday, ahead of a visit by Pope Francis I in March.

A spokesman for the province’s police said that the Joint Operations Command has prepared a security plan for the visit.

“The protests will not affect the historic trip because the residents are keen on preserving the reputation of their city,” he added.

Protesters are demanding the dismissal of Dhi Qar Governor Nazem al-Waeli, the arrest of those behind the abduction of activists and an end to the excessive use of force against the rallies.

Kadhimi had dispatched the delegation, comprised of the interior minister and head of national security, to Nasiriyah to assess the situation. The delegation met with tribal elders, representatives of the protest movement and some security commanders.

This is not the first government delegation to head to the city. The PM had dispatched a similar one in November. That delegation was on a fact-finding mission in wake of the murders and kidnappings that had targeted protesters. It has obviously failed seeing as the violence and protests have persisted.

Amid the lack of trust between the local and federal authorities and the protesters, observers believe that it is unlikely for the tensions in Nasiriyah to die out any time soon. In fact, the demonstrators appear to be escalating their actions as they insist on the dismissal of the governor.

Activist Abbas al-Nasseri said: “The sense of frustration and lack of trust among the youth is fueling the anger that has persisted in Nasiriyah for months.”

He told Asharq Al-Awsat: “Many protesters believe the government delegations only seek to contain the tensions. They are not thinking of ways to resolve and address the causes of the anger. This makes their successive visits futile.”

He stressed that the protest demands are clear in demanding that the murderers of demonstrators be held to account, that kidnappings be ceased and that the governor be removed from his post. Other demands include providing job opportunities and basic services.

The government has so far failed in meeting these demands.

Sources from the government delegation said Baghdad was not seeking to introduce any administrative changes in the province.

Meanwhile, in the neighboring Wasit province the protest movement succeeded in opening an office for the province. Nabil Shamma, brother of musician Naseer Shamma, was appointed as official in charge with managing the affairs of the provincial capital Kut.

The office was opened after an agreement was reached between the protesters and representatives of the premier.



Rights Defenders Denounce US Sanctions on UN Expert on Palestinians

UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese gives a press conference at the UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark February 5, 2025. Ritzau Scanpix/Ida Marie Odgaard via REUTERS/File Photo
UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese gives a press conference at the UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark February 5, 2025. Ritzau Scanpix/Ida Marie Odgaard via REUTERS/File Photo
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Rights Defenders Denounce US Sanctions on UN Expert on Palestinians

UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese gives a press conference at the UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark February 5, 2025. Ritzau Scanpix/Ida Marie Odgaard via REUTERS/File Photo
UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese gives a press conference at the UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark February 5, 2025. Ritzau Scanpix/Ida Marie Odgaard via REUTERS/File Photo

Human rights defenders rallied on Thursday to support the top UN expert on Palestinian rights, after the United States imposed sanctions on her over what it said was unfair criticism of Israel.

Italian lawyer Francesca Albanese serves as special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, one of dozens of experts appointed by the 47-member UN Human Rights Council to report on specific global issues.

She has long criticized Israeli treatment of the Palestinians, and this month published a report accusing over 60 companies, including some US firms, of supporting Israeli settlements in the West Bank and military actions in Gaza.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday Albanese would be added to the US sanctions list for work which had prompted what he described as illegitimate prosecutions of Israelis at the International Criminal Court.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk urged Washington to reverse course.

"Even in the face of fierce disagreement, UN Member States should engage substantively and constructively, rather than resort to punitive measures," he said, Reuters reported.

Juerg Lauber, the Swiss permanent representative to the UN who now holds the rotating presidency of the Human Rights Council, said he regretted the sanctions, and called on states to "refrain from any acts of intimidation or reprisal" against the body's experts.

Mariana Katzarova, who serves as the special rapporteur for human rights in Russia, said her concern was that other countries would follow the US lead.

"This is totally unacceptable and opens the gates for any other government to do the same," she told Reuters. "It is an attack on UN system as a whole. Member states must stand up and denounce this."

Russia has rejected Katzarova's mandate and refused to let her enter the country, but it has so far stopped short of publicly adding her to a sanctions list.

Washington has already imposed sanctions against officials at the International Criminal Court, which has issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister for suspected war crimes in Gaza. Another court, the International Court of Justice, is hearing a case brought by South Africa that accuses Israel of genocide.

Israel denies that its forces have carried out war crimes or genocide against Palestinians in the war in Gaza, which was precipitated by an attack by Hamas-led fighters in October 2023.

"The United States is working to dismantle the norms and institutions on which survivors of grave abuses rely," said Liz Evenson, international justice director at Human Rights Watch.

The group's former head, Kenneth Roth, called the US sanctions an attempt "to deter prosecution of Israeli war crimes and genocide in Gaza".

The United States, once one of the most active members of the Human Rights Council, has disengaged from it under President Donald Trump, alleging an anti-Israel bias.