Sadrists expand protests to Iraq’s courts

The Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council suspended its work hours after Sadrist movement supporters expanded to the Judicial Council building the sit-in they started two weeks ago in front of the parliament building in Green Zone in Baghdad. Most courts in Iraq announced a suspension of their work in response to the council’s call.

The Iraqi Bar Association also announced a work suspension in compliance with orders from the Supreme Judicial Council. As they set up tents outside the national judicial authority headquarters in Baghdad, Al-Sadr supporters accused the head of the Judicial Council, Fain Zaidan, of politicizing the judiciary.

The Sadrist protesters demanded Zaidan’s resignation and trial. “We want to hold the leaders and those who sold our sons accountable. We demand the corrupt be held accountable,” protester Ameer Adai Al-Ghazi told A24 News. Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi cut short his visit to Cairo and returned to Baghdad to follow the developments.

Upon his arrival, he stated the judicial institutions’ disruption puts Iraq at genuine risk. He called on political forces to continue the national dialogue.

Echoing the acting prime minister, Muhammad al-Halbousi, speaker of the Iraqi parliament, called on citizens to follow the constitution, warning that the crisis would exacerbate tensions if political forces kept up disrupting legal procedures.

However, the expansion of the sit-in is a step towards escalating the political crisis that has been going on for over ten months. Sadrist movement supporters indicated, in a statement, that they would continue their sit-in outside the parliament building until their demands were met, including dissolving parliament and not politicizing the judiciary.

Meanwhile, the pro-Iran Coordination Framework said all forms of dialogue with the Sadrist movement should be suspended and called on supporters to prepare for more confrontation.

Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Iraq, confirmed support for the right to peaceful demonstration and advocated a search for solutions to the country’s political crisis.