ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The family of prominent Iraqi activist Safaa al-Sarai, who was killed during protests in 2019, have confirmed to Rudaw that a lawsuit has been filed against Sarai for "throwing stones at the security forces.”
Sarai was a prominent figure in the protest movement and published pictures and videos documenting brutal tactics used by security forces to suppress the demonstrations. On October 28, 2019, he was fatally shot in the head with a tear gas canister. He is buried in Najaf’s Wadi al-Salam cemetery.
After his death, Sarai became an iconic figure of the protests. Anti-government demonstrators across southern Iraq still carry his image during rallies.
Speaking with Rudaw English on Wednesday, Safaa’s brother Bahaa al-Sarai confirmed the lawsuit was filed on Tuesday, saying it is being used as a “bargaining chip” to remove Safaa’s state designation as a martyr, which gives his family certain financial benefits, as well as pressure to drop a case they filed against former Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi.
Mahdi was the PM at the time of Safaa’s killing in 2019.
"A month ago, I was summoned by a judicial committee to follow up the case of my brother's murder, and I renewed my accusation against Adil Abdul-Mahdi and the security force that was on the Jumhuriya Bridge on October 28, 2019,” Baha’a told Rudaw English on Wednesday.
“One of the judges denounced me, saying ‘Abdul-Mahdi has nothing to do with the matter.’ I left angry," he continued.
Iraq’s security forces are accused of deliberately firing teargas canisters at protesters, turning them into lethal weapons.
“Security forces have fired tear gas canisters directly at protesters in Baghdad, Iraq on several occasions since the demonstrations resumed on October 25, 2019,” Human Rights Watch said in November 2019.
Bahaa confirmed that no one has been brought to justice for his brother's murder so far, saying that the judiciary is “politicised and unfair”.
"We will not give up on the case, no matter what," he said.
The lawsuit comes amid ongoing appeals for justice from families of slain protesters, which have largely fallen on deaf ears in Iraq’s courts.
At least 600 people have been killed across Iraq and more than 18,000 injured since the protests began in October 2019, according to figures from Amnesty International.
Iranian-backed militias are also accused of being behind a murderous campaign that has killed dozens of activists and journalists.
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