Iraq

On 15 August, the government proposed a law criminalizing homosexuality, penalizing transgender women and anyone perceived as ‘imitating women’ in public. The legislation, which labels same-sex relationships as ‘sexual perversion’, threatens up to seven years in prison and fines of 15 million dinars (11,500 USD) for promoting homosexuality, although it fails to define what this entails. On 9 August, Iraq’s Communications and Media Commission (CMC) directed all media outlets to replace the term ‘homosexuality’ with ‘sexual deviance’ in their published and broadcast language. In addition, the use of the term ‘gender’ was banned as the CMC claimed this language is incompatible with Iraqi society. This move, condemned by international NGOs, has intensified the marginalization of the LGBTQIA+ community, promoting hostility and discrimination. Against this backdrop, anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric from Iraqi officials and clampdowns on human rights groups has intensified in recent months. Reports of violent attacks on LGBTQIA+ individuals, often unpunished, are increasing, pointing to a lack of legal protection.

LGBTQIA+ Rights Media

On 27 March, the Parliament of Iraq passed amendments to the electoral law proposed last month, with 275 of 329 legislators voting in favour. The amendments will restore the electoral law of 2018, which provided for one electoral district for each of Iraq’s 18 provinces – a significant reduction from the current 83 electoral districts. The vote was met with outrage from Iraqi opposition and independent lawmakers, who warned that this could spark a new wave of unrest. The current electoral system was adopted in response to the Tishreen mass protests of 2019 and considered one of the major gains from the movement, favouring the emergence of independent candidates and smaller political forces. Iraq’s first provincial council elections in a decade are expected to take place on 6 November, and the new electoral law will be applied during the vote. This has raised concerns as Iraq’s established and ruling parties, widely criticized for rampant corruption, will likely further entrench their hold on power.  

Elections Electoral Reform Local Government

Hundreds of Iraqis took to the streets on 27 February to protest against a draft amendment to election legislation that would increase the size of electoral districts. The current law was passed in 2020 in response to the 2019 Tishreen Movement and has allowed independents and smaller parties to gain seats in parliament. Proposed by Iraq’s Coordination Framework and its allies, the amendment seeks a return to the previous system and would improve the electoral prospects of established parties at the provincial level at the expense of the newly formed independent actors. The new law would also bring back voting from abroad and manual counting instead of electronic counting. Seen as an attempt to alter the electoral laws to favour the ruling coalition, the amendment was challenged in parliament by independent and new political formations that arose from the Tishreen protests. Sadrists have also expressed objection to the amendment, threatening to boycott the upcoming provincial elections if implemented. Due to both popular opposition and disagreements among lawmakers, Iraq’s parliament failed to move forward with a second reading of the legislation. As parliamentary elections could be expected in October in addition to the provincial vote, these changes could raise concerns about the legitimacy of the political process if they go into effect.

Protests Elections Tishreen Movement Electoral Reform

On 5 December, a criminal court in Baghdad sentenced an Iraqi activist to three years in prison for a tweet that mocked and criticized Abu Mehdi al-Muhandis, former head of the government-salaried paramilitary organization Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). The sentence, which follows a number of arrests targeting activists, sparked anti-government demonstrations. At least three protesters were shot dead and several injured as Iraqi security forces responded with deadly violence. Human rights groups have criticized the prison sentence and expressed concerns regarding the alarming escalation of legal threats against civil society and use of the justice system as a tool to suppress peaceful criticism by Iraqi authorities.

Mohammed Shiaa al-Sudani Islamic State Kurdistan Terrorist Attack