“From the way they are walking into someone's house in broad daylight, shooting and killing someone without any fear, shows that they must be connected or have influence among the political sphere, among security groups in the country,” Belkis Wille, senior crisis and conflict researcher at Human Rights Watch, told Rudaw in an interview on Thursday.
Two prominent activists were assassinated in Basra in the space of one week. Reham Yacoub, a 29-year-old athletics coach and attendee of the city's protests in 2018 over poor public services was shot dead on August 19. Activist Tahseen Oussama was killed on August 14. Several other activists in the city have survived assassination attempts in recent weeks.
"Who in the government is implicated is a question we don't know the answer to and that really is the job of the judiciary," noted Wille. “It is the job of the high judicial council to properly investigate those behind these killings, who they answer to, and ensuring that they get held accountable.”
Iraqi activists have been warning of an increasingly threatening environment for those who speak out against the political order.
The country has been rocked by widespread protests since October 2019, with demonstrators demanding basic services, jobs, and the fall of the corruption-rife political establishment that has been in place since the 2003 US invasion. When security forces and pro-Iran militias began attacking protesters, killing hundreds, activists demanded an end to foreign interference in Iraqi affairs and called for the overthrow of the political elite.
“The sad truth is that until we have a government that is capable, and strong enough, and willing to hold killers accountable, we're going to see these violations continue, and we're going to see complete impunity for armed actors who are perpetrating abuse,” added Wille, who noted Iraq is yet to see the serious investigations, real prosecutions, and accountability Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi has promised.
“The issue is a culture of impunity for armed forces. It's not about the law,” she said.
A new United Nations report found that the protection of human rights, freedom of speech, and the right to peaceful assembly have “deteriorated markedly” since October 2019, “with the fragile civic and democratic space shrinking further.”
“Protesters and people openly and candidly expressing discontent remain at great risk,” reads the report published on Thursday.
The UN has documented the deaths of 487 protesters, while the Iraqi government estimates at least 560 people have died, including members of the security forces.
Baghdad has ordered an investigation into the assassinations and the government has promised to provide medical care for injured protesters and benefits for the families of those killed.
