Baghdad activists flee militias

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region —  Activists involved in the Iraqi protests have told Rudaw that they feared for their lives in Baghdad, choosing to flee overseas or to the Kurdistan Region. 

"We fled because of the militias, they kill all the activists involved in last year’s October protests," said activist Qahtan Adnan, who moved to Erbil 11 months ago. 

"Erbil and the Kurdistan Region is a refuge and I am safe here," he said. 

Protests against corruption and a lack of basic services began in Baghdad and southern Iraqi cities in October 2019. Calls for reform and governmental change began after security forces and Iran-backed militia groups began killing and injuring protesters. 

According to Iraq’s High Commission for Human Rights, nearly 700 protesters were killed and 10,000 injured.

Ali Magdam fled to Istanbul eight months ago.

He say he is on a militia "blacklist" and has received death threats. 

"If they continue playing with the fate of the people, it will be dangerous for everyone...the only person who can solve these issues is [Prime Minister] Mustafa al-Kadhimi," he said. 

Kadhimi, who took power in May, has previously vowed to hold killers responsible for the deaths of protesters, but little has been done. 

Translation and video editing by Sarkawt Mohammed