25 February 2022

We are following with great concern the dangerous deterioration of the relations between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Ukraine, the outbreak of military operations between the two sides and the incursion of Russian forces into Ukrainian territories.

We had hoped, like other peace-loving forces in the world, that the outbreak of this war would be avoided and the disputed issues be resolved through dialogue, negotiations, and peaceful and diplomatic means.

Wars, aggression against states and violation of their sovereignty are unacceptable in principle to us. They will only bring destruction and human and material losses, disrupt public life and services, paralyze economic life, harm innocent civilians and result in terrorizing women and children in particular.

While we condemn and reject resorting to the option of war, we also condemn acts of provocation, escalation, insistence on expanding NATO eastwards, disregarding Russian security concerns, and seeking to besiege and encircle Russia militarily by the US and NATO members states for quite some time now, and exerting pressure on the Kiev government to respond to the US-NATO plans and projects, which ultimately aim to establish hegemony and control over the world, its states, peoples and resources, and return it to the climate of Cold War and the arms race.

On the other hand, it must be emphasized that the Ukrainian government should respect the rights and freedoms of its citizens, and refrain from any repressive practices on the basis of national discrimination or for any other reason, as well as respecting their choices. It should return to the implementation of the Minsk Agreements to reach a political settlement of the conflict.

In these difficult and complex circumstances, as the world is holding its breath and worried by the possibility of major developments and the outbreak of military operations on a large scale, it must be said that this war poses a serious threat not only to Russia and Ukraine and inflicts great harm on their peoples, but also exposes global peace and security to grave dangers. It also fuels nationalist, extreme right-wing and anti-democratic tendencies in the two countries and throughout Europe, fuels conflicts and wars in the world and provides more pretexts for foreign military interventions.

The peoples of the world, who have not yet recovered from the Covid-19 pandemic and its dire consequences, have been widely shocked by this manner of violating international law and the sovereignty of states, which is what the US and its allies have done many times before, and it is now repeated in these Russian military operations. This is so at a time when the rules of law and the UN Charter must be respected, showing concern for peace and stability in the world and respecting international rules and norms, and the right of peoples to self-determination with their own free will.

We add our voice to those of peace-loving forces that have risen around the world, condemning this war and calling for it to stop immediately, to return to the dialogue table and negotiations under the aegis of the United Nations, and to start a serious dialogue to reach understandings that guarantee the interests of all parties, reassure the civilian population and the right of all peoples to live in safety and peace, away from the scourge and evil of wars.

Central Committee

Iraqi Communist Party

25 October 2021

The military leadership in Sudan has carried out a coup this morning, supported by the forces of the counter-revolution and the remnants of Al-Bashir's dictatorial regime, to end the democratic transition. It began with launching a campaign of arrests of political and civil leaders and the suppression of popular demonstrations against the putschists and declaring a state of emergency.

This coup represents the culmination of internal and external conspiracies to circumvent the slogans of the Sudanese people's Revolution in December 2018 and deal a blow to its gains, the latest of which was the coup attempt carried out by a group of the military last month. It comes nearly two years after the formation of the transitional power structures in Sudan, a deepening economic crisis, and against the background of curtailing freedoms, violating rights and maintaining laws restricting them. This was coupled with attempts to empty the slogans of the December Revolution from their content and usurp the means to achieve change that are represented by the Legislative Council and local popular government. In addition, no steps were taken to achieve justice and retribution for the martyrs and to investigate of the massacre of dispersing a peaceful sit-in that took place in Khartoum in June 2019, as well as hindering the trial of leading figures of the former regime. The demands of the forces of Revolution for the establishment of a transitional authority to address urgent issues within a period not exceeding four years were denied. These demands include the formation of the Legislative Council as an important step in the path of consolidating full civilian authority, setting the principles of a permanent constitution, holding free and fair elections and consolidating the principle of peaceful transfer of power, in order to build a national democratic state based on the principle of citizenship and the rule of law.

While declaring its strong condemnation of this military coup, the Iraqi Communist Party affirms its full solidarity with the Sudanese people and their democratic civil forces, foremost of which is the Sudanese Communist Party. We call for intensifying international solidarity with their courageous resistance to defeat the coup, and call for an end to repression, the immediate release of all detainees, the abolition of the state of emergency, and submission to the will of the Sudanese people expressed by the December Revolution and its goals of freedom, peace and justice.

All solidarity with the Sudanese people and their democratic civil forces

Political Bureau

Iraqi Communist Party

Iraq’s early parliamentary elections on 10 October 2021 were characterised by a very low turnout, at about 20%, confirming the fact that Iraqi voters have no confidence in an electoral system designed to perpetuate the corrupt ethno-sectarian power-sharing system that was installed after the US war and occupation of the country in 2003.

The Iraqi Communist Party, that actively supported the popular October Uprising in 2019, had stressed that early elections were one of the principal demands of the Uprising aimed at bringing about radical change, ridding the country of the ethno-sectarian power-sharing system and political sectarianism and opening up prospects for establishing a civil democratic state and social justice.

However, there was growing deep concern about various aspects of the electoral process, including a flawed Electoral Law. It was amended by parliament and designed to serve the interests of the rulers and dominant blocs. The date for elections was postponed, at the request of the so-called “independent” Electoral Commission, from 6th June to 10th October 2021. Vote buying started early, with corrupt politicians and their parties spending money lavishly in the absence of any real controls. The Parties Law, which should prevent such practices and bans political parties with armed formations from participating in elections, has not been implemented.

No effective measures have been taken to prevent a repeat of the shameful rigging and manipulation of the voting process that marred previous elections. The real figure for the turnout in the last parliamentary elections in 2018 was about 20%, while official figures claimed it was 44.5%.

A very important demand by the protest movement, and also by Iraqi Communists, was that the perpetrators of the killings of more than 700 peaceful young protesters during the October Uprising must be brought to justice. But the transitional government of Mustafa al-Kadhemi, installed in May 2020 after the overthrow of his predecessor Adel Abdul-Mahdi by the protest movement, has failed to deliver on its promises.

In view of this situation, the Iraqi Communist Party, after conducting an internal referendum of all its party members and organisations, declared in July 2021 its decision to boycott the elections. It also warned that blocking the path to peaceful democratic change through free and fair elections will only deepen the political crisis and open the door to grave consequences, endangering civil peace. The rulers will then be held fully responsible for pushing the country toward the abyss.