Iraqi President Barham Salih said Saturday that he seeks to enforce the rule of law at the highest level of government. “The reform process requires the provision of a favorable political climate by holding early elections away from the monopoly of weapons and manipulation so that the people can decide their own future,” he told a conference organized by the Iraqi National Wisdom Movement on violence against women. “We have many challenges ahead and there is no space for a…

The Iraqi Foreign Minister, Fuad Hussein, yesterday renewed calls for the European Commission to remove the Gulf state from the list of high-risk third countries for money laundering and terrorist financing. According to a statement by the Foreign Ministry, the minister met with Josep Borrell, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels. The officials discussed the meetings of the Joint Commission for Human Rights and Democracy that were held days earlier. According to the statement, the Iraqi…

BAGHDAD – An explosive device blew up late Thursday night inside the American Institute for English Learning in the holy city of Najaf, adding to concerns about an increase in such attacks in the country. The blast damaged the facade of the institute without causing any casualties, Iraqi police said in a statement, noting that an investigation has been launched into the incident. The American Institute is an educational centre that teaches English language. It is not formally affiliated with…

BAGHDAD -- An improvised explosive device blew up outside an English-language institute in southern Iraq early Friday without causing any casualties, Iraqi police said in a statement, amid a recent uptick in attacks targeting the American presence in Iraq. The blast damaged the facade of the American Institute for English Learning in the holy city of Najaf, a statement from the province's police directorate said.  The school is not formally affiliated with any institutions in the U.S. It was believed to to have…

A man stands in the street with his hands stretched angrily in the air.   Other men surround him in groups, also gesticulating in fervor, some wearing the Algerian flag with its unmissable red star.  The black and white picture by Algerian photographer Fethi Sahraoui captures the Algerian Hirak protesters who took to the street in February 2019 demanding the immediate resignation of Abdelaziz Bouteflika. Sahraoui’s photograph encapsulates a historical moment in Algeria’s road towards political transformation. “As an Algerian citizen,…

There has been an alarming rise in attacks against activists in the war-torn country  An Iraqi pharmacist and her family were killed after an intruder broke into their home late on Tuesday, security officials said. Sheelan Dara, who came from an affluent Kurdish family, took part in anti-government protests during the uprising in last October. "Unidentified gunmen stormed a house in Al Mansour district, west of Baghdad, on Tuesday evening, and slaughtered the pharmacist Sheelan Dara, and her parents,” Baghdad…

BAGHDAD – Iraqi forces arrested the former director general of the General Pension Authority Ahmed Al-Saadi along with six officials on corruption charges Tuesday as part of the government’s anti-corruption campaign led by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi. Iraqi sources indicated, according to local media, that the military forces mobilised to arrest Saadi and the six officials, acting on orders from Kadhimi. The same sources noted that arrests of other senior officials will be carried out soon. Saadi was arrested in central…

Iraq’s top Shiite cleric Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani on Sunday backed the government’s call to hold early elections, a key demand of protesters, after a meeting with the UN envoy to the country. "The parliamentary elections scheduled for next year are of great importance," Mr Al Sistani, 90, said after the meeting. Iraqis should be encouraged to participate, he said, and failing to hold the polls on time or in a free and fair way would "threaten the unity and…

Iraqi insurgents in Babylon have called for the trial of those responsible for killing protesters and the removal of a corrupt governor affiliated with the Iranian regime. Suppressive forces attacked protesters and arrested a number of them, including Dr. Zargham Majid, an insurgent activist. The insurgent youths confronted the repressive forces by burning tires and closing the streets and spreading demonstrations. Insurgent youths in Tahrir Square in Baghdad, Nasiriyah, Karbala and Wasit called for the immediate release of Dr. Zargham…

New York, September 10, 2020 — Iraqi authorities must investigate the threats against employees of Dijlah TV and do their utmost to ensure they can work freely and without fear of reprisal, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Since August 28, at least six reporters and camera operators working in Iraq for the Jordan-based broadcaster have quit their jobs and gone into hiding amid a campaign of threats for allegedly offending Iraqi Shias, according to a statement issued by the journalists,…