To: The Central Committee Communist Party of CP of Vietnam

Dear Comrades,

We convey the warmest greetings of Iraqi Communists to the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

We are confident that this highly important event in the political and public life of Vietnam will contribute to further strengthening your party and consolidating its leading role in the Renovation process and socialist-oriented development of the country. We have followed with admiration the preparations for holding the 13th Congress, involving thousands of party committees and cells at grassroots level, as well as holding congresses at all sub-national levels, despite considerable challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and natural disasters. This testifies, once again, to the fidelity of your fraternal party, throughout its glorious history, to the cause of the Vietnamese people, safeguarding national independence, facing up to great challenges and wars of invasion by imperialist forces, and continuing its march to safeguard peace and build socialism. 

Dear Comrades, 

While wishing the 13th National Congress every success in its deliberations, we extend our wholehearted greetings to its delegates, to the party leadership and all its members. On this occasion, we look forward to further developing the historical relations between Iraqi and Vietnamese Communists in the joint struggle for freedom, peace, democracy, social progress, and socialism.  

With best comradely wishes 

The Central Committee

Iraqi Communist Party

21 January 2021

 21 January 2021

Terrorism has today returned once again to torment our beloved Baghdad, which, along with the rest of the Iraq's cities and towns has been yearning for stability and a secure life.

This morning criminal suicide bombers targeted Tayaran Square in central Baghdad, which was crowded with shoppers, vendors and working people who strive to secure their daily livelihood in the conditions of a grinding economic and financial crisis. The criminals revealed their deep hatred by killing and wounding dozens of innocent people.

The forces of terrorism and crime do their utmost to prevent stability and stop the people going about their lives and work, away from bloodshed, the sounds of explosions, bombs and missiles.

The issue of terrorism, despite the successes achieved in the battle against it, has not been resolved. Its evil forces seek to exploit every loophole, outlet, state of complacency and lack of vigilance to implement their heinous objectives in terrorizing citizens and destabilizing security.

Confronting terrorism and its criminal organizations must always receive attention, and the security of citizens should not be compromised amid the fever of political competition and infighting, and the scramble for positions. It is imperative to maintain vigilance, caution, the state of readiness of our security and armed forces, and enable the intelligence effort to play its role. Citizens also need to demonstrate the highest level of attention to the methods of the terrorists and their malicious deceptions.

This, of course, cannot be achieved without paying attention to the citizens, fulfilling their urgent needs, providing them with job opportunities, improving public and health services, and creating an atmosphere of trust between state institutions, especially the security and military, and citizens.

We condemn in the strongest terms this heinous crime that was committed this morning, and offer our condolences to the families of the martyrs, wishing the wounded and injured a speedy recovery.

The Political Bureau

Iraqi Communist Party

21-1-2021

However despite the oppression, there is hope in the October uprising, which is being harnessed to fight for change, says the IRAQI WOMEN’S LEAGUE-UK

TODAY the world will mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

In Iraq, the day will undoubtedly be dutifully marked by the government, but the sad reality is that domestic violence has become entrenched as a banal and routine part of daily life in Iraq.

However, there is an opportunity to change this; last month the people of Iraq marked the first anniversary of the October uprising which saw men and women alike take to the streets to demand their basic rights and basic amenities.

We witnessed the awakening of a new generation of political consciousness which if seized upon could drive real change in the country.

Of course, we must be under no illusion about how difficult any progress towards the elimination of violence against women will be.

For decades now Iraqi women have been subjected to violence and oppression whether at the hands of the state or their families.

It was women who bore the brunt of sanctions under the dictatorship — fighting to keep their families fed.

Similarly, it has been women who have suffered most from the sectarian violence and carving up of country and community since the invasion.

Hard-won rights and cultural progress made since the 1950s have slammed into reverse with the rise of Isis and other violent ideologues who dress up their ambitions for control and power in the cloak of religious zeal, often penalising women first and furthest.

All of this has happened under the backdrop of a weak and fractured government which has handed back power to militia and tribes — meaning that although the Iraqi constitution provides for equal rights for all citizens regardless of gender, the almost non-existent infrastructure to enforce this right renders the constitution unworthy of the paper it is written on.

This has skewed the very perception of violence. In Iraq today there is a decline in women’s awareness of the concept of domestic violence, with over half of Iraqis considering it the right of a man — even his duty — to “discipline” his wife and daughters.

This unforgiving cultural environment means that there is huge underreporting of domestic violence which is increasingly seen as part and parcel of daily life.

The situation is bleak, and coronavirus has only served to make it worse. Even with clear underreporting, the Islamic Information Centre has seen the number of reports of domestic violence increase by 44 per cent during Covid-19.

Domestic violence has been linked to over 100 cases of suicide or attempted suicide. And too often, even when women have been brave enough to report the domestic violence to the police they were forced to stay at home with their abusers.

During Covid-19 and lockdown we have seen a huge increase of technology-related violence and abuse against women and they have been unable to find justice in a culture that blames the victim.

But there is hope. There are organisations working for a feminist future in Iraq — providing support for victims while advocating for long-term change.

Since its establishment in 1952 the Iraqi Women’s League has defended and fought for the interests and rights of Iraqi women.

Today, it is more important than ever. Among other things, the league works to raise awareness of the rights of women and children through campaigning and educational programmes and has been on the front line in the fight against community and family violence.

In the last 10 years the league has worked with other women’s organisations to amplify the voices and work of women in Iraq for their rights.

This has culminated in the establishment of the 1325 Coalition Network, so called after the landmark resolution on women, peace and security adopted by the UN security council in October 2000.

The work of these coalitions and grassroots organisations has continued unabated for decades — through dictatorships and sanctions, invasions and Isis and now a global pandemic.

Now there is an opportunity for real change — not sticking plasters and interventions after the fact.

The October uprising, the long-term impact of which is not yet known, has awakened a new generation who want to create a better future for the homeland away from the dominating corruption and sectarianism.

Just as the activism of the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States was successfully seized on and translated to votes at the ballot box, the awakening of Iraqi youth and women through the October uprising is being harnessed to fight for change.

This starts with advocacy for parliament to vote in the affirmative on the anti-domestic violence law but will not end until culture and communities themselves recognise the evil of domestic violence and root it out in every family and community across Iraq.

*Morning Star

26/11/2020