1^st Anniversary of the Popular Movement

On 01 October 2020, thousands of Iraqis in various cities of the central and southern provinces marked the first anniversary of the start of the popular movement by participating in demonstrations. Some human rights organisations in Iraq estimate that the number of demonstrators and activists who have been killed since the start of the protests one year ago is approximately 600, in addition to 30,000 others who have been wounded. This is part one of the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR)’s Ninth Periodic Report on Violations During Popular Demonstrations in Iraq.

In the capital, Baghdad, thousands of demonstrators gathered in Al-Tahrir Square (photo 1), stressing the peacefulness of the popular movement and their continued demand for comprehensive reform and bringing the killers of their fellow protesters and activists to a fair trial. This was interspersed with a carnival that included various activities, including a book market (photo 2). The students also participated in a mass rally that started in front of the Ministry of Higher Education, heading towards Al-Tahrir Square through its tunnel (photo 3). Similar demonstrations took place in the central and southern Governorates, as happened in the Diwaniyah city, centre of Al-Qadisiyah Governorate where the demonstrators raised pictures of their colleagues who sacrificed their lives in order to obtain a homeland that guarantees a prosperous future for all (photo 4).

Mass demonstrations on 25 October 2020 

The protesters in various Governorates prepared the main sit-in squares in order to start the mass demonstrations on 25 October, as shown in the picture on the right above, where cleaning operations took place in Al-Tahrir Square and the Al-Jumhuriya Bridge in Baghdad on 19 October 2020. The image on the left above shows the cleaning campaign in the main sit-in square in the city of Najaf, which took place on 20 October 2020, and the next day a symposium was held in which the demonstrators discussed previous events and their preparations for the upcoming demonstrations. Also, on 20 October 2020, the demonstrators held a meeting in Basra’s sit-in square, in which they discussed matters related to organising the demonstration on 25 October, and uniting ranks to save the homeland.

The protesters called on all unions, sports committees, students, university professors, teachers and citizens to participate in the commemoration of the mass demonstrations that took place in various cities of Iraq on Friday 25 October 2019, when security forces, including Anti-Riot Forces, used lethal force, which led to many deaths among the peaceful demonstrators and hundreds of wounded.

Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets on 25 October 2020, in massive demonstrations, in various Iraqi cities in the centre and south of the country, including the capital, Baghdad, calling for an end to corruption and stressing that they would continue the popular movement until their demands were met despite their suffering due to the bad economic situation and the Covid-19 pandemic.

On 24 October 2020, the security forces prevented buses carrying protesters coming from the Governorates from entering Baghdad, so they were forced to walk and use trucks and various cars to reach the capital (photo 1). Also, the security forces prevented a large number of provincial demonstrators from entering Baghdad (photo 2). On the same day, the security forces cut off both the Al-Sinak and Al-Shuhada bridges first, and then cut off Abu Nawas Street in a pre-emptive measure before the start of the demonstrations.

On the morning of 25 October 2020, a large number of demonstrators gathered in Allawi Al-Hilla, on the Al-Karkh side of Baghdad, near the Green Zone, where Anti-Riot Forces strongly suppressed them. Among those who were attacked were civil society activist Ehab Jawad Al-Wazni (photo 3) and a group of young men who were accompanying him (photo 4). The previous day, Al-Wazni called on his Facebook page for citizens in the city of Karbala to gather in the evening and go to Baghdad to participate in the demonstrations. The violent attack by the Anti-Riot Forces forced the demonstrators to withdraw to the adjacent Haifa Street and then return to Al-Tahrir Square.

On 25 October 2020, thousands of demonstrators began arriving at Al-Haboubi Square in the centre of Nasiriyah (photo 1), which is the main sit-in square in Dhi Qar Governorate. In the city of Al-Amara, the capital of Maysan Governorate, large numbers of demonstrators participated in fascinating and organised marches that roamed the city’s streets, raising their demands, including an end to corruption and accountability for the killers of the demonstrators (photo 2).

In Baghdad, large numbers of demonstrators continued to flock to Al-Tahrir Square 9photo 3) and the Al-Jumhuriya Bridge (photo 4), where the atmosphere was completely peaceful. Baghdad university students returned in large numbers to Al-Tahrir Square, and they appeared in the picture passing through the Al-Tahrir tunnel (photo 5).

In the city of Najaf, the capital of Najaf Governorate, a large unified student demonstration from the universities of Najaf marched to the sit-in square (photo 6).

That day, on 25 October 2020, the Governorate A Najaf recorded a massive presence of demonstrators (photo 1) and in Basra demonstrators organised a large march (photo 2), while Al-Haboubi Square was filled with demonstrators again (photo 3). In the city of Hilla, the capital of Babel Governorate, the sit-in square was filled with large numbers of demonstrators, some of whom carried pictures of the kidnapped human rights lawyer Ali Al-Heliji (photo 4).

Temporary evacuation of protesters from Al-Tahrir Square

On the evening of 25 October 2020, the sit-in protesters from two groups, Baghdad Youth Tents and Al-Tahrir Square Tents, met and decided to remove their tents and vacate Al-Tahrir Square, starting at 11 am on 26 October 2020, to preserve the peacefulness of the popular movement. They took this action after a group of people entered Al-Tahrir Square on 24 October 2020 carrying large quantities of Molotov cocktails. On October 25 and 26, this group also clashed with the security forces stationed on the Jumhuriya and Sinak bridges and on Rashid Street.

One of the leaders of the sit-in in Tahrir Square told GCHR the following, “There is no withdrawal, but the lifting of the tents and the temporary ending of the peaceful sit-in in Al-Tahrir Square comes only after consulting and agreeing with the families of the martyrs, and is a serious attempt to uncover the intransigent parties that infiltrated the ranks of the protesters, as well as to stop the bleeding of Iraqi blood and preserve the civilised and peaceful face of the popular movement.” In spite of this evacuation, other protesters in Al-Tahrir Square emphasised that they would stay in order to preserve the peacefulness of the popular movement, reject escalation and maintain their innocence from involvement with violence.

On 31 October 2020, the Baghdad Operations Command announced in a statement the reopening of Al-Jumhuriya Bridge and Al-Tahrir Square, the main protest centre in Iraq, to ​​vehicle traffic (photo 1). On the same day, demonstrators raised a banner in front of passing vehicles saying (photo 2), “Pay attention, please …. This vehicle is driving over the blood of the martyrs.”

Storming of Al-Tahrir Square

On 27 October 2020, security forces including the Baghdad Operations Command forces and the Anti-Riot Forces stormed Al-Tahrir Square from three directions – Al-Rasheed Street, Al-Saadoun Street and Al-Jumhuriya Bridge. They arrested 12 peaceful civil society activists who refused to leave. Most of them were later released.

On 27 October 2020, security forces that stormed Al-Tahrir Square arrested civil society activist Ali Al-Alawi (photo 3). He remains in detention at Al-Alawiya Police Station and there are allegations that he was tortured. Al-Alawi participated in previous protests since 2013, as well as the current popular movement at its inception. He was previously detained at the beginning of 2020 when security forces arrested him on Abu Nawas Street, and held him for two months.

On 27 October 2020, civil society activist Imad Abdulrahim Habib Al-Asadi (photo 4) was arrested after the security forces stormed Al-Tahrir square, and he was only released on 06 November 2020, after his case was presented to the judge who decided to release him. Al-Asadi is an old demonstrator who participated in the sit-in from the beginning, and he is a resident of Babel Governorate.

On 25 October 2020, a group of tents were burnt out in Tahrir Square (photo 5), and the cause of the fire was unknown. At dawn on 27 October 2020, Anti-Riot Forces stormed the main sit-in square in the city of Hilla and burned all the motorcycles of the protesters.

Use of force against sit-in squares

On 31 October 2020, security forces, including Anti-Riot Forces and shock forces, stormed the main sit-in square in Basra city, using smoke bombs very extensively (photo 1), and openly burned the tents of the protesters in the square (photo 2) in order to provoke them. The Riot Forces continued to burn the protesters’ tents the next day, but the demonstrators quickly regained control of the sit-in square on 02 November 2020, after a mass demonstration. In the following days, security forces continued to pursue demonstrators in the streets and alleys surrounding the sit-in square, as shown in this video, which was recorded on 06 November 2020. These forces used live bullets, tear gas, batons and knives, and severely beat some demonstrators and arrested a number of civil society activists. Among them was Zaid Abbas (photo 3), who was arrested on 06 November 2020 and subjected to torture and forced along with his fellow detainees to sign a pledge not to participate in future demonstrations. Abbas and other demonstrators were released after several hours of illegal detention.

On 22 October 2020, the security forces fired live bullets in order to disperse the demonstrators in Al-Kifl district in Babel Governorate (photo 4), against the background of their demand to vacate state buildings occupied by political parties and turn them into service departments that benefit citizens, especially after the issuance of a legal order from the District Municipality.

Continuation of peaceful demonstrations

On 29 October 2020, a large and well-organised student march was launched for students of Karbala universities (photo on the left). The student participants emphasised the continuity of the popular movement and demanded accountability for the killers of the demonstrators.

On the same day, in the city of Kut, the centre of Wasit Governorate, a march for students of the Governorate commemorated the first anniversary of the death of human rights defender Safaa Al-Saray, and expressed pride in all those who lost their lives among their fellow protesters during the popular movement (photo in the middle). In addition, several events were organised on the anniversary of the death of Al-Saray, including a group of Yazidi youth from Sinjar district lighting candles in his memory (photo on the right).

Meanwhile sit-in squares paid attention after the temporary evacuation of Al-Tahrir square as authorities wanted to pick up the opportunity to end the whole popular movement but they failed to contain the protests.

On 31 October 2020, Al-Haboubi Square in Nasiriyah was crowded with demonstrators after they heard news of Anti-Riot Forces intending to storm their square. The demonstrators also rushed to the sit-in square in the city of Kut to protect it from any possible storming, after the same news spread (photo 1).

On 01 November 2020, the sit-in square in Hilla was filled with demonstrators after the arrival of a large student march (photo 2), where everyone emphasised the continuation of the popular movement until their demands were met, foremost among which was accountability for the killers of the demonstrators. On the same day, dozens of protesters gathered under the Freedom Monument in Al-Tahrir Square and in the surrounding area, confirming the continuation of the peaceful protests (photo 3), and despite the threat of the security forces, the demonstrators flocked in the evening and lit candles under the monument (photo 4). In Diwaniyah (photo 5) and Najaf (photo 6), demonstrators continued to attend the sit-in square until late in the evening of 01 November 2020.

On 06 November 2020, mass demonstrations took place in the Shatra district of the Dhi Qar Governorate, which raised pictures of which raised pictures of Sajjad Al-Iraqi, a kidnapped activist, and demanded his immediate release (photo 1). In Al-Rifa’I, district of the Dhi Qar Governorate too, the sit-in square was filled on 02 November 2020 with huge numbers of demonstrators who held a special festival for the popular movement and the demonstrators who gave their lives during the past year (photo 2).

On 06 November 2020, two mass demonstrations began, the first in Al-Tahrir Square in Baghdad, where demonstrators denounced corruption and demanded reform (photo 3), and the second in the city of Kut, where demonstrators also rejected corruption, demanded change, and expressed a determination to continue (photo 4).

On 08 November 2020, two student demonstrations took place, the first in Hilla, demanding accountability for the killers of the demonstrators (photo 5), and the second in Baghdad, which confirmed the continuation of the popular movement until the goals of the demonstrators were achieved (photo 6).