A cowardly attack on the office of the Iraqi Communist Party in Najaf

At two o'clock in the morning on Sunday 22 August 2021 the office of the Iraqi Communist Party in the city of Najaf was subjected to a cowardly attack with petrol bombs. The perpetrators were under the illusion that this criminal act could intimidate the Communists, undermine their relentless and selfless struggle in the interests of the homeland and the people, and discourage them from their fight against corruption and the corrupt.

While condemning this criminal act, we point out that it only occurred as a result of the government’s continued failure to protect citizens in general and our party’s office in particular. It is well-known that the Communist Party believes in the state and the rule of law and does not have a militia to protect itself and terrorize the people.

We stress that failure in pursuing the perpetrators and bringing them to justice will exacerbate the crisis and lead the country to more chaos and destruction, and will waste real opportunities to build a democratic system which ensures peaceful transfer of power.

We reaffirm our determination to continue the fight along with our people and patriotic forces for change, building a democratic civil state and achieving social justice.

The District Committee in Najaf province

Iraqi Communist Party

22-8-2021

24 July 2021

In light of the deepening political and social crisis in the country, with the dominant forces monopolizing political power and imposing their control over the country’s destinies and the direction of social development, the widespread corruption and the lack of prosecution for the most corrupt, the assassinations, kidnappings and intimidation, in addition to the deterioration of the living conditions of the people, especially the working people, due to the increase in poverty and unemployment, and the absence of basic services... Under these complex conditions, laden with crises and risks, talk of providing an atmosphere conducive to holding free and fair elections has become nothing but an illusion exposed by the tragic daily realities and the bitter suffering of millions.

Based on this, we announced in the statement issued by the party’s Central Committee on 9th May 2021, the suspension of our participation in the elections in October. We considered that our participation could not take place without the necessary conditions to ensure the fair and free elections we want, as expressed by the will of the Uprising in October 2019, to be a lever for the desired change. We stressed that unless a safe electoral environment is provided, through a fair Election Law and a truly independent Electoral Commission, measures that prevent the use of political money, ending the proliferation of arms, and holding the worst of the corrupt accountable, and unless the just demands of the Uprising are met and the perpetrators of the assassinations and those behind them are revealed .. Unless this has been achieved, participation in the elections will only be a process of reproducing the political system itself, the system of ethno-sectarian quotas and corruption, that is the source of crises and tragedies.

In connection with all this and in response to developments, the Central Committee decided to go back to the party's organisations, to take a collective decision through a referendum for all its members regarding participation in the elections or boycotting them.

This was carried out in early July, and the results of the referendum, which is an embodiment of internal democratic practice, showed that a clear majority supported the boycott. It should be noted that a high percentage of party members in all its organisations in all governorates and abroad, actively participated in the referendum. These comrades belong to various social strata, which shows that as a sample it does not represent the Communists only, but rather reflects a clear popular mood.

There is no need here to emphasize that our boycott of the elections in light of the current suffocating crises is not directed against the electoral process as a democratic practice. It is, for us, one of the means of peaceful action for change, which calls for combining all forms of popular, political, intellectual and economic struggle. It is also linked, as a form of struggle, to our clear goal of change aimed at establishing a democratic civil state based on social justice.

Today we are faced with the task of real change and a radical solution, aiming to change the political course responsible for the deepening crisis, as well as the economic policy that has led to the accumulation of wealth in the hands of a small exploitative class and a ruling minority at the expense of the crushed and deprived majority of the people, and to the continuation of fragile economic structures, and impeding the development of national productive sectors.

While we call for boycotting the elections, we call for changing the political path by breaking with the policy of ethno-sectarian quotas and political sectarianism on which the crisis-ridden political process was based. By doing so, we call for achieving democracy, which is threatened by those who use political money, uncontrolled arms, fraud and promoting a culture of corruption, and those who circumvent any possibility to save the country from the abyss into which it is descending.

Through the boycott of elections, we are calling upon the masses of our people stifled by the ethno-sectarian quotas and corruption, the families of the martyrs of the October Uprising, its brave leaders, heroic youth and all its patriotic supporters, as well as all the living forces of our people and all those who hold dear to their hearts the country’s future and the direction of its peaceful social development, to unite efforts and struggle for a reform of the entire electoral system, enact a just electoral law, and fulfil the conditions for holding fair elections in which the broadest masses of the people express their free will, without manipulation and fraud, in choosing their true patriotic representatives.

Today, we urgently need a whole set of well-studied political, social and economic measures aimed at saving the country from the suffocating crisis and achieving change. Without these measures, the deterioration will continue and deepen, and the ruling political system will be reproduced, leading to unimaginable consequences.

On this occasion, we call upon the organisations of our party and its comrades and friends to work actively to mobilise the mass movement, escalate it and diversify its peaceful methods in the face of challenges, open up to the broadest masses and be at the forefront, in defence of their rights and freedoms, and to instigate their struggle for democracy and social justice.

The assassination of a prominent Iraqi civil activist, Ihab al-Wazni, in the city of Karbala on 9th May 2021 aroused strong and wide condemnation, especially as it came shortly after he openly informed the security forces that his life was in imminent danger following the receipt of death threats. The crime was committed in cold blood and the victim had been left without any protection. 

On 25th May 2021, mass demonstrations took place in Baghdad and several other provinces condemning the killing of Ihab al-Wazni and other activists. The main slogan was “Who Killed Me?” and the participants included a broad spectrum of social forces and civil democratic organisations, including youth, students, women and trade unions. Despite the peaceful character of the demonstration in Baghdad, the protesters were again targeted with live bullets fired by armed gangs as they dispersed, killing two young men. It was a reminder of bloody scenes in the same place, Tahrir Square (Liberation Square) in central Baghdad, during the October Uprising in 2019.

There has been an escalating campaign of assassinations and attacks in recent months, targeting many activists and peaceful protesters, that have been carried out by armed groups with impunity.

More than a year and a half after the start of the courageous popular Uprising, which erupted on 1st October 2019, the root causes behind it continue to exist, with a deepening structural political crisis. Bloody repression that was unleashed to end the Uprising, with more than 700 killed, thousands wounded and many still “disappeared”, failed to quell the deep desire for change. The ruling groups of the corrupt ethno-sectarian power-sharing system were forced to give few concessions in the face of mounting popular anger that threatened their political power. These included the resignation of former Pime Mnister Adel Abdul-Mahdi and accepting the demand for early elections. They also paid lip service to other demands that included bringing those responsible for killing the protesters to justice, combating rampant corruption and addressing economic grievances of the people.

A year ago, in May 2020, a new government headed by Mustafa Al-Kadhimi was endorsed by parliament, after prolonged political manoeuvres and compromises between the dominant blocs. It promised to prepare for free and fair early elections and also to reveal the identity of the perpetrators of bloody crimes against the protesters.    

However, the assassination of civil activist Ihab al-Wazni in Karbala on 9th May 2021, was a turning point. It culminated in escalating attacks against leading protesters in various provinces and revealed the miserable failure of Al-Kadhimi’s government to deliver on its promises. No effective measures were taken to put an end to armed militias and assassination squads. This has also cast real doubts about the ability of the government to provide the necessary conditions for free and fair elections in October.

Early Elections

The demand for early elections, as raised by the popular Uprising in October 2019, aimed at bringing about change. However, there is 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 Electoral Commission, from 6th June to 10th October 2021. Vote buying has already started, with corrupt politicians and their parties spending money lavishly in the absence of any real controls. The Parties Law, which prevents 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 42%.

In the absence of conditions for free and fair elections, participation in them would only mean collusion in reproducing the same corrupt political system that is responsible for the catastrophic state of affairs in the country.

In view of this situation, the Iraqi Communist Party announced, in a statement issued on 9th May 2021, that it decided to suspend its participation in the forthcoming elections unless firm and deterrent measures are taken to put an end to the escalating assassinations and other crimes, bringing the perpetrators and those behind them to justice, including the killers of Ihab al-Wazni. It pointed out that there cannot be any free expression and electoral contest with the continued existence of armed groups and assassination squads. 

The Communist Party also stressed that the demand for early elections, that was raised by the October Uprising and was one of its principal demands, aimed at bringing about 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. It warned that if the above conditions for free and fair elections are not met, thus blocking the path to peaceful democratic change, this 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.

The Communist Party has also called upon the peaceful activists and protesters, and the citizens at large, to intensify pressure by various means on the government and parliament and force them to carry out their responsibilities against rebellious armed groups and attempts to sabotage the electoral process. 

Unity for Change

The Communist party is currently involved in ongoing discussions with a number of political and civil groups, including some that emerged from the protest movement, to develop a joint platform for action, of opposition to the ethno-sectarian power-sharing system. The aim is to bring together a broad spectrum of civil democratic forces on a platform of struggle for change.

This effort is based on the Appeal issued by the party on 31st March 2021, on the occasion of its 87th anniversary, addressed to “civil and democratic parties and figures and the forces of the October Uprising”. It called on them “to begin immediately a process of meetings and consultations, overcoming the state of division and fragmentation, and closing ranks. The aim is to build a broad democratic alliance capable of providing the prerequisites for a qualitative and quantitative alternative to achieve reform and change”.

The party stressed the need for serious cooperation and unity in action of these forces “in order to get out of the current dilemma and break the vicious circle through which the ruling forces want to perpetuate their influence and dominance and ensure their interests”.

The Appeal stated: “An enormous effort is required from all to form alliances and groupings that cut across the sectarian divide and secondary identities, and to adopt a democratic patriotic platform. This would respond to the demands of the homeland and citizens, preserve the country’s unity, avert the dangers of internal war and division, ensure the best utilisation of financial and economic resources for development, and Iraq’s full sovereignty and the independence of its national decision making”.

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(*) This report was published in “Solidarity”, the bulletin issued by the Sudanese Communist Party, Issue No.23 – July 2021.

 27 May 2021

The Political Bureau of the Iraqi Communist Party has issued the following statement on 27^th May 2021:

Yesterday Baghdad witnessed dangerous developments and the mobilization of the armed forces and their deployment in several areas of Baghdad, and especially in the Green Zone.

This is not the first time that force and violence have been used to dictate political positions and to usurp the state’s right to impose law and order, to prosecute the accused, and to assert the judiciary’s authority and restore its prestige.

The continuation of such practices in violation of the law would lead to further weakening of the state and its institutions, and to a state of instability and chaos. It would also further undermine the citizens’ lack of confidence in government institutions, especially military and security institutions, and in their ability to provide protection and security. In addition, it encourages further undermining of the foundations of a state based on law and citizenship.

We stress here that no one is above the law and accountability, and that the political forces and blocs must respect that and adhere to it, and combine words with deeds. All talk about respect for the authority of the state is simply hollow words with the continuous violation of its role and the erosion of its authority and ability to apply the force of law.

On the other hand, such practices increase the reluctance of citizens to go to the polls in the elections. They are the opposite of what is necessary to provide the requirements for a safe environment for conducting fair, transparent and credible elections, expressing the free will of citizens.

Once again, these developments reaffirm the absolute necessity for all military and security sectors and institutions of all kinds to be subject to a single central authority, as defined by the Constitution, represented by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. This would ensure averting a state of lawlessness and lack of discipline and coordination.

We also stress the importance of firm measures to keep arms under the control of the state and its legitimate institutions that are authorized to do so, and not to hesitate in prosecuting those who do not comply with this. Furthermore, determined action is required to uncover the killers of protesters and activists and those behind them, and to prosecute the corrupt.

Voices must be raised in our country rejecting all kinds of violence, oppression, violations of human rights and dignity, the hijacking of the state and the law, and tampering with peaceful political life, which is in total contradiction with the Constitution.