Hammurabi Human Rights Organization urges Iraqi security apparatus to arrest human rights activists’ killers

BAGHDAD – The Hammurabi Human Rights Organization has urged the Iraqi government and its security apparatus to get serious about arresting and bringing to justice the perpetrators who committed assassinations targeting human rights activists in various Iraqi cities. The Hammurabi Human Rights Organization issued the statement after the recent (attempted) assassination of several human rights activists and anti-government protesters in Iraq, the most recent being Tahseen Osama last Friday in Basra. There were attempted assassinations on Fahim al-Ta’i in Karbala, Lydia Rimon in Basra, Ihab Jawad in Karbala, Basim al-Zubaidi in Al-Amara and Abbas Subhi in Al-Basra.

In its statement, Hammurabi says that it has received several troubled messages from different sources which indicate the lives of several more human rights activists might be in danger as more human rights activists have been threatened in the Iraq’s Basra Province. “The series of assassinations have been continuing amid the continuation of peaceful civil demonstrations that demanded the legitimate rights,” the statement read. Demonstrators’ tents have been burned in a number of Iraqi cities. Activists attribute the attacks to parties working to undermine the peaceful and democratic approach of anti-government protesters.

Activist Lydia Rimon, who is from the Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian people in Basra, was subjected to an assassination attempt during protests in Basra. She survived and was taken to hospital with leg injury. Her condition is stable.

And only yesterday did civil activist Riham Yacoub get assassinated in Basra.

Health and nutrition expert and civil activist Riham Yacoub was assassinated in Basra earlier today. Attached is an article from the Iranian News Agenecy Mehr calling Riham an “ American agent against the Axis of resistance “ and inciting against her and other activists in Basra. pic.twitter.com/aSB4O23ReP

— Steven Nabil (@thestevennabil) August 19, 2020