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Iraqi activist arrests for ‘insulting’ Iran-backed militia

Iraqi activist arrests for ‘insulting’ Iran-backed militia

Iraqi activist arrests for ‘insulting’ Iran-backed militia

Iraqi activist arrests for ‘insulting’ Iran-backed militia

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  • Iraqi activist Haidar al-Zaidi sentenced to three years in prison.
  • Zaidi accused of insulting paramilitary group supported by Iran.
  • PMF, an umbrella organization for primarily Shia militias, is a major player in Iraq’s political scene.
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Iraqi activist in Iraq has been given a three-year prison sentence for allegedly tweeting a tweet that was considered to have offended a paramilitary group supported by Iran.

In response to a post regarding the late deputy commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a court found 20-year-old Haidar al-Zaidi guilty of “insulting state institutions” (PMF).

Zaidi insisted that his account had been hijacked and denied authoring the tweet.

Zaidi’s trial was criticized by Human Rights Watch as being “patently unfair.”

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“Regardless of who posted the Twitter message, the Iraqi justice system should not be used to as a tool to suppress peaceful criticism of the authorities or armed actors,” said Adam Coogle, the campaign group’s deputy Middle East director.

“It is a sad reflection on the rule of law in Iraq that an activist like Zaidi gets three years in prison for a Twitter post he says he didn’t write while dozens of officials and armed groups enjoy impunity for killing activists and protesters.”

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In a tweet that featured an image of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and bemoaned how only in Iraq would a “spy” be awarded the title of “martyr,” Zaidi was detained in June.

Muhandis was the head of Kataib Hezbollah, a potent Shia Muslim militia in Iraq supported by Iran and classified as a terrorist organization by the US.

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He served as the PMF’s deputy commander as well. The PMF, an umbrella organization for dozens of primarily Shia militias, is technically a division of the Iraqi Security Forces but in reality functions independently and holds considerable power.

Muhandis and top Iranian officer Qasem Soleimani were both killed in a US drone strike in Baghdad in January 2020.

The two men were widely mourned in Iraq as martyrs, yet other people rejoiced at their demise.

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The killings of hundreds of protestors who came to the streets of Iraq in late 2019 to voice their displeasure about failing public services, high unemployment, and pervasive corruption have been blamed on Iran and its militia supporters.

They have also been held accountable for a murderous campaign against well-known activists who opposed their power.

Human Rights Watch was informed by activists in Baghdad that Zaidi was arrested by the PMF and that a committee inside the PMF had brought a lawsuit against him.

The sentencing, according to human rights advocate Salman Khairallah, sends “a strong message to activists that any criticism of authorities and the PMF will be punished.”

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