Arrest of prominent analyst sparks outrage in Iraq

Ibrahim Al Sumaidaie could face seven years in prison for 'publicly insulting' Iraqi authorities

Early national elections have been a key demand of pro-reform demonstrators in protests that began in central and southern Iraq in 2019. AFP

Iraqi security forces have arrested a prominent political analyst for criticising the authorities.

The arrest of Ibrahim Al Sumaidaie fuelled public anger against a political elite already under fire for mismanagement of the country.

At dawn on Saturday, police officers forcibly entered Mr Al Sumaidaie's house in Baghdad. Security cameras showed a man in civilian clothing asking Mr Al Sumaidaie to pose for the camera before handcuffing and taking him away in a police pickup truck.

Mr Al Sumaidaie is accused of “insulting the public authorities publicly”, an arrest warrant said. The document gave no further detail.

Iraq’s Supreme Judiciary Council said the arrest came after Mr Al Sumaidaie made an “attack against an official institution and described it with rude words, not suitable to mention here, beyond the limits of the freedom of expression that are guaranteed by the constitution”.

It also accused him of being paid for the statements he had made, adding that he would be brought before a judge after the official holiday.

Mr Al Sumaidaie is likely to appear in court on Monday after Sunday’s national holiday of Spring Day, or Nowruz.

Under Clause 226 of the Saddam-era Iraqi Criminal Code, the charge against him carries a penalty of up to seven years in prison or a fine.

Mr Al Sumaidaie, a lawyer and former officer in the Iraqi army, is a member of the Rafidain Centre for Dialogue think tank. He is known for his criticism of the political elite and corruption among politicians and has supported the mass anti-government protests that broke out in 2019.

It is still unclear which government entity filed the suit against him and what statements he made.

But a voice clip widely circulated on social media appeared to feature Mr Al Sumaidaie criticising judicial authorities during the process of amending a law for the country’s Supreme Federal Court, which was approved on Thursday.

The arrest sparked public outrage.

The entity or person who filed the suit “have no shame”, Kurdish writer Saman Noah said in a post on his Facebook page.

“They are silent while the militant factions and others attack the government, institutions and officials by words and sometimes by missiles,” he said, referring to Iran-backed Shiite militias who launch attacks against US assets and make bold statements against the government.

“This is the final nail in the coffin of democracy,” said Munqith Dagher, founder of the Independent Institute of Administration and Civil Society Studies research group in Iraq and MENA director and board member of Gallup International.

“Arresting free people for their opinions is equal to kidnapping or assassinating them because of these opinions,” Mr Dagher said.

Angered by the lack of jobs, poor public services and endemic corruption, Iraqis took to the streets in October 2019 in widespread protests in the centre and south of the country. They demanded the removal of the political elites in place since the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003.

Although the protests forced the previous government to resign and Parliament to approve new election laws to hold early elections, they have largely died down after a crackdown by security forces and harassment, kidnapping and targeted killings of activists by militias as well as the pandemic.

As of July last year, the government had registered the killings of 560 protesters and members of the security forces, while thousands of protesters were hurt, with some suffering life-changing injuries. Dozens of protesters and activists have been killed since then.

When he took office in May, Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi pledged to investigate the killings. But his government has yet to hold anyone accountable, offering only promises of justice and financial aid to victims.