CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" dir="ltr" lang="en-US"> <head profile="http://gmpg.org/xfn/11"><script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/bundle-playback.js?v=HxkREWBo" charset="utf-8"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/wombat.js?v=txqj7nKC" charset="utf-8"></script> <script>window.RufflePlayer=window.RufflePlayer||{};window.RufflePlayer.config={"autoplay":"on","unmuteOverlay":"hidden"};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/ruffle/ruffle.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> __wm.init("https://web.archive.org/web"); __wm.wombat("http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurdistan-region/","20120514035358","https://web.archive.org/","web","/_static/", "1336967638"); </script> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/_static/css/banner-styles.css?v=S1zqJCYt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/_static/css/iconochive.css?v=3PDvdIFv" />  <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"/> <meta name="generator" content="WordPress 2.8.4"/>  <title>Gorilla’s Guides » kurdistan region</title> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358js_/http://gorillasguides.com/wp-content/themes/neewee/js/jquery-1.2.6.min.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358js_/http://gorillasguides.com/wp-content/themes/neewee/js/jquery.ui.1.5.min.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358js_/http://gorillasguides.com/wp-content/themes/neewee/js/neewee.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358cs_/http://gorillasguides.com/wp-content/themes/neewee/blueprint/screen.css" type="text/css" media="screen, projection"/> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358cs_/http://gorillasguides.com/wp-content/themes/neewee/blueprint/print.css" type="text/css" media="print"/>  <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358cs_/http://gorillasguides.com/wp-content/themes/neewee/style.css" type="text/css" media="screen, projection"/> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358cs_/http://gorillasguides.com/wp-content/themes/neewee/color_scheme_blue.css" type="text/css" media="screen, projection"/> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Gorilla’s Guides RSS Feed" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/feed/"/> <link rel="pingback" href="http://gorillasguides.com/xmlrpc.php"/> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Gorilla's Guides » kurdistan region Tag Feed" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurdistan-region/feed/"/> <link rel="EditURI" type="application/rsd+xml" title="RSD" href="http://gorillasguides.com/xmlrpc.php?rsd"/> <link rel="wlwmanifest" type="application/wlwmanifest+xml" href="http://gorillasguides.com/wp-includes/wlwmanifest.xml"/> <link rel="index" title="Gorilla's Guides" href="http://gorillasguides.com"/> <meta name="generator" content="WordPress 2.8.4"/>  <meta name="keywords" content="Baghdad, Mosul, Ninawa (Governorate), Kirkuk, Children, Diyala, Women and Children, Refugees, Christians, Human Rights, بالمسيحيين, Anbar, مدينة الصدر‎, Religion, Sadr City, KRG, Water, Corruption, Najaf, Red Crescent/Red Cross, Peshmerga, drought, Health, Turkmen, Sulaymaniyah, Baquba, Torture, security situation, Article 140, Samarra, Khalis, Interior Ministry, Dams, IWPR, Kurdistan, Detention without trial, Death Penalty, Christianity, violence, Analysis, prisons, northern iraq, Agriculture, kuwait, Karrada, kurds, Civilians, U.N., ICRC, Human Rights Watch, Egypt, Iraqi kurdistan, Demonstrations, PUK, جمعية الصليب والهلال الاحمر, Death Threats, Jalal Talabani, Team Members, Sulaimaniya, Hit, protests against GZG, Constitution, Resources, Human Rights Ministry, irrigation, Arrests, Water Shortages, water resources, Barzani, patriotic union of kurdistan, Tahrir Square Protests, Press, Asayish, Religious minorities, Balad Roz, KDP, ميدان التحرير‎, أسايش, Amil, Hawija, Secular vs. Religious, Muqdadiya, kurdistan democratic party, Iran-Iraq War, UNAMI, kurdistan regional government, tribal councils, Erbil, protest rallys, detainees, Students, Peshmerga seizure of non-Kurdish lands, prisoners, rural areas, sulaimaniyah, religious freedom, babil, security forces, Goran Movement, Italy, water shortage, Barham Salih, Ninewa, sanitation, Gulf War, Arabs, rehabilitation, unemployment, farmers, reparations, News Sites, Arbil, Makhmour, media, sahwa, Nasiriya, Red Cross messages, Othman - Mahmoud, missing persons, Nuri Al-Maliki, international humanitarian law, Kirkuk - political violence, Hospitals, protests, rainfall, iraqi parliament, HRW, Kirkuk (At-Ta’mim) Governorate, kurdistan region, wheat, water supply, Food parcels, Bala, agricultural land, 1990-1991 Gulf War, International Law, hygiene kits, Tahrir Square, Mosul violence, CIA, Reporters Without Borders, Ad Melkert, kurdish regional government, situation in iraq, kurd, disappearances, disabled people, ethnic minorities, mobile phones, discrimination, political negotiations, freedom of expression, protest campaigns - responses to, INIS, Justice Ministry, repatriation, right to protest, drinking water, Judiciary, Security, Assayesh, Dohuk, peaceful demonstration, Tahrir Square protestor arrests, hygiene, economic situation, Ministry of Justice, water supplies, Limb-fitting, acts of violence, water purification, iranian border, Nepotism, Tripartite Commission, water levels in reservoirs and dams and rivers, Fodder, arable land, Husseinia, president jalal talabani, electricity, Rudaw, Tarmiyah, Government services, Dukan, rules of engagement, Human Rights Commission, apostasy, protests against GZG violence, water flow, security environment, street protests, Article 14, Salah, prisoners of war, Tarmiya, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent, dignity, Vice, Trigger line, farms, Sulaimaniya Province, Peshmerga vs. GZG, harassment, Convention against Torture, Global warming, Imam Ali General Hospital, arbitrary detention, sheep, Rania, International Republican Institute, rainfall levels, uprisings, agriculture department, religious leader, essential services, protests against KRG, humanitarian situation, international federation of red cross, kerbala, Sara Square, Tawela District, Barzani clan, sects, peaceful protesters, indiscriminate attacks against civilians, Kurdistan Meteorology and Seismology Directorate (KMSD), Asos Hardi, united states military, Qaraj district, graft, islamic rules, Sulaymaniya, murtads, Graseen district, economist intelligence unit, Biyare district, dukan dam, ICG, freedom of assembly, OHCHR, Choman district, Talabani clan, Constitutional issues, Wladimir Van Wilgenburg, repressive measures, Ivan Šimonović"/> <style type="text/css">.recentcomments a{display:inline !important;padding:0 !important;margin:0 !important;}</style> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358js_/http://gorillasguides.com/wp-content/plugins/advancedsearch/advancedsearch.js"></script><link rel="stylesheet" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358cs_/http://gorillasguides.com/wp-content/plugins/advancedsearch/advancedsearch-lite.css" type="text/css" media="screen"/> </head> <body> <div class="container"> <div id="navigation"> <ul> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/">Home</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-6"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/gorillas-guides-for-the-perplexed/" title="Gorilla’s Guides For The Perplexed">Gorilla’s Guides For The Perplexed</a> <ul> <li class="page_item page-item-3589"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/gorillas-guides-for-the-perplexed/fatwas/" title="Fatwas A Brief Guide">Fatwas A Brief Guide</a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="page_item page-item-2066"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/cholera-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%83%d9%88%d9%84%d9%8a%d8%b1%d8%a7/" title="الكوليرا Cholera">الكوليرا Cholera</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-759"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/scenes-from-an-iraki-childhood-march-16th-2007/windowslivewriterscenesfromanirakichildhoodmarch16th2007-fd1720070316-crying-children-kirkuk-morgue-waiting-to-collect-fathers-body-250x325-72dpi6jpg/guide-to-the-samarra-bombing/" title="Guide To The Samarra Bombing">Guide To The Samarra Bombing</a></li> </ul> <div id="subscribe"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/feed/">Subscribe to RSS</a> </div> </div> <div id="header"> <h1><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/">Gorilla’s Guides</a></h1> <h2>“The only thing these sand niggers understand is force and I’m about to introduce them to it.”</h2> <div id="search"><form method="get" id="searchform" action="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/"> <div><input type="text" value="" name="s" id="s"/> <input type="submit" id="searchsubmit" value="Search"/> </div> </form> </div> </div> <hr/> <div id="content" class="span-13 append-1"> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-13706"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2011/09/20/mahmoud-osman-us-is-no-ally-of-the-kurds/#respond" title="Comment on Mahmoud Osman: US Is No Ally Of The Kurds">No Comments</a></span> Posted on September 20th, 2011 by Hussein Al-Bayati</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2011/09/20/mahmoud-osman-us-is-no-ally-of-the-kurds/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Mahmoud Osman: US Is No Ally Of The Kurds">Mahmoud Osman: US Is No Ally Of The Kurds</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/article-14/" rel="tag">Article 14</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/article-140/" rel="tag">Article 140</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurdistan-region/" rel="tag">kurdistan region</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/nuri-al-maliki/" rel="tag">Nuri Al-Maliki</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/othman-mahmoud/" rel="tag">Othman - Mahmoud</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rudaw/" rel="tag">Rudaw</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <p style="line-height: normal; direction: ltr" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family: "><font face="Arial"></font><font style="font-size: 12pt" color="#000000">In an interview with <em>Rudaw, </em>prominent Kurdish MP Mahmoud Osman – one of only a handful of independent lawmakers – accused the United States of “pretending” to be a friend to the Kurds, claiming Washington has done nothing to stand up for Kurdish interests. He also addressed at length deepening tensions between Erbil and Baghdad, revealing that Kurdish leaders have discussed whether to oust embattled Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.</font></span></p> <p> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2011/09/20/mahmoud-osman-us-is-no-ally-of-the-kurds/#more-13706" class="more-link">» أقرأ التفاصيل .. | Read the rest of this entry »</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-13478"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2011/06/07/iraq-un-human-rights-official-urges-stronger-action-to-protect-civilians/#respond" title="Comment on Iraq: UN human rights official urges stronger action to protect civilians">No Comments</a></span> Posted on June 7th, 2011 by Burhan Aydin</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2011/06/07/iraq-un-human-rights-official-urges-stronger-action-to-protect-civilians/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Iraq: UN human rights official urges stronger action to protect civilians">Iraq: UN human rights official urges stronger action to protect civilians</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/category/human-rights/" title="View all posts in Human Rights" rel="category tag">Human Rights</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/acts-of-violence/" rel="tag">acts of violence</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ad-melkert/" rel="tag">Ad Melkert</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/arbitrary-detention/" rel="tag">arbitrary detention</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/convention-against-torture/" rel="tag">Convention against Torture</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/demonstrations/" rel="tag">Demonstrations</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/disappearances/" rel="tag">disappearances</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/discrimination/" rel="tag">discrimination</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ethnic-minorities/" rel="tag">ethnic minorities</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/freedom-of-expression/" rel="tag">freedom of expression</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/human-rights/" rel="tag">Human Rights</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/human-rights-commission/" rel="tag">Human Rights Commission</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/international-law/" rel="tag">International Law</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ivan-simonovic/" rel="tag">Ivan Šimonović</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/judiciary/" rel="tag">Judiciary</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurdistan/" rel="tag">Kurdistan</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurdistan-region/" rel="tag">kurdistan region</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurdistan-regional-government/" rel="tag">kurdistan regional government</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ohchr/" rel="tag">OHCHR</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/torture/" rel="tag">Torture</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/un/" rel="tag">U.N.</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/unami/" rel="tag">UNAMI</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <div style="text-align: left; unicode-bidi: bidi-override; direction: ltr"> <p>A senior United Nations official has called on the Iraqi Government to do more to protect civilians from violence, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Pages/WelcomePage.aspx" class="external" target="_blank">OHCHR</a>) reported today. </p> <p>Ivan Šimonović, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, welcomed the Iraqi Government’s convening of a conference this week to address rights problems, but also “condemned the numerous cases of enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention and alleged torture that have been reported throughout Iraq,” OHCHR said. </p> </p></div> <p> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2011/06/07/iraq-un-human-rights-official-urges-stronger-action-to-protect-civilians/#more-13478" class="more-link">» أقرأ التفاصيل .. | Read the rest of this entry »</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-13449"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2011/06/02/iraq-protest-organizers-beaten-detained-human-rights-watch/#respond" title="Comment on Iraq: Protest Organizers Beaten, Detained | Human Rights Watch">No Comments</a></span> Posted on June 2nd, 2011 by Burhan Aydin</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2011/06/02/iraq-protest-organizers-beaten-detained-human-rights-watch/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Iraq: Protest Organizers Beaten, Detained | Human Rights Watch">Iraq: Protest Organizers Beaten, Detained | Human Rights Watch</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/category/human-rights/" title="View all posts in Human Rights" rel="category tag">Human Rights</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/category/team-members/" title="View all posts in Team Members" rel="category tag">Team Members</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/acts-of-violence/" rel="tag">acts of violence</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/arrests/" rel="tag">Arrests</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/constitution/" rel="tag">Constitution</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/corruption/" rel="tag">Corruption</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/demonstrations/" rel="tag">Demonstrations</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/detainees/" rel="tag">detainees</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/detention-without-trial/" rel="tag">Detention without trial</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/freedom-of-assembly/" rel="tag">freedom of assembly</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/freedom-of-expression/" rel="tag">freedom of expression</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/human-rights/" rel="tag">Human Rights</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/human-rights-ministry/" rel="tag">Human Rights Ministry</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/human-rights-watch/" rel="tag">Human Rights Watch</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/interior-ministry/" rel="tag">Interior Ministry</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/iraqi-kurdistan/" rel="tag">Iraqi kurdistan</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/krg/" rel="tag">KRG</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurdistan-region/" rel="tag">kurdistan region</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurdistan-regional-government/" rel="tag">kurdistan regional government</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/media/" rel="tag">media</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/mobile-phones/" rel="tag">mobile phones</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/peaceful-demonstration/" rel="tag">peaceful demonstration</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/peaceful-protesters/" rel="tag">peaceful protesters</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/press/" rel="tag">Press</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/prisons/" rel="tag">prisons</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/protest-rallys/" rel="tag">protest rallys</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/repressive-measures/" rel="tag">repressive measures</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sara-square/" rel="tag">Sara Square</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/security-forces/" rel="tag">security forces</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/street-protests/" rel="tag">street protests</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/students/" rel="tag">Students</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sulaimaniya/" rel="tag">Sulaimaniya</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tahrir-square/" rel="tag">Tahrir Square</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tahrir-square-protestor-arrests/" rel="tag">Tahrir Square protestor arrests</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tahrir-square-protests/" rel="tag">Tahrir Square Protests</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/team-members/" rel="tag">Team Members</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d9%85%d9%8a%d8%af%d8%a7%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%aa%d8%ad%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%b1%e2%80%8e/" rel="tag">ميدان التحرير‎</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/violence/" rel="tag">violence</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <div style="text-align: left; unicode-bidi: bidi-override; direction: ltr"> <p>Iraqi authorities have detained, interrogated, and beaten several protest organizers in Baghdad in recent days, Human Rights Watch said today. Iraqi authorities should stop the attacks and charge or release those being held, Human Rights Watch said.</p> <div style="border-bottom: black 1px solid; border-left: black 1px solid; padding-bottom: 5px; margin: 5px 0px 5px 15px; padding-left: 5px; width: 48%; padding-right: 5px; float: right; border-top: black 1px solid; border-right: black 1px solid; padding-top: 5px"> <p><strong>Background</strong></p> <p>Iraqi authorities have taken several steps to eliminate protests in the capital from public view. On April 13, officials <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/04/21/iraq-widening-crackdown-protests" class="external" target="_blank">issued new regulations</a> barring street protests and allowing them only at three soccer stadiums.</p> <p>In late February, Iraqi police <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/02/17/iraq-investigate-protester-deaths" class="external" target="_blank">allowed dozens of assailants</a> to beat and stab peaceful protesters in Baghdad. In the early hours of February 21, dozens of men, some wielding knives and clubs, attacked about 50 protesters who had set up two tents in Tahrir Square. During nationwide February 25 protests, security forces killed at least 12 protesters across the country and injured more than 100. On that day, Human Rights Watch observed Baghdad security forces beating unarmed journalists and protesters, smashing cameras, and confiscating memory cards.</p> <p>Security forces of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and its ruling parties have used repressive measures against<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/05/24/iraqi-kurdistan-growing-effort-silence-media" class="external" target="_blank"> journalists</a> and <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/04/21/iraq-widening-crackdown-protests" class="external" target="_blank">demonstrators</a> since the start of the daily protests in Sulaimaniya on February 17 seeking an end to widespread corruption and greater civil and political rights. On March 6, masked men <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/03/07/iraqi-kurdistan-prevent-attacks-protesters" class="external" target="_blank">attacked demonstrators</a> and set their tents on fire in Sulaimaniya. On April 18, security forces seized control of Sara Square, the center of Sulaimaniya’s protests, and have prevented further demonstrations.</p> <p>On April 27, the KRG issued a 19-page report of its investigation into the violence during the previous 60 days of demonstrations. It concluded that violence was committed by both security forces and protesters, and that "the police and security forces were poorly trained in handling it appropriately."</p> <p>Iraq’s constitution guarantees "freedom of assembly and peaceful demonstration." As a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Iraq is obligated to protect the right to life and security of the person, and the right to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly.</p> </p></div> <p>In Iraqi Kurdistan, a protest organizer, Isma’il Abdullah, was abducted, stabbed, and beaten on May 27, 2011. The Kurdistan government should make sure its promised investigation of the episode is thorough, fair, and transparent, and leads to the prosecution of those responsible, Human Rights Watch said.</p> <p>"Authorities in Baghdad and in Iraqi-Kurdistan are keeping their citizens from demonstrating peacefully," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "Iraq needs to make sure that security forces and pro-government gangs stop targeting protest organizers, activists, and journalists."</p> <p>Several activists in the capital told Human Rights Watch that they believed that the increased security at Baghdad’s Tahrir Square and the recent arrests were an attempt to head off reinvigoration of public protests, amid efforts by various small protest groups to work together. They said that neighborhood officials had warned them that security forces had made increased inquiries into the activists’ whereabouts and activities over the past two weeks.</p> <h3>Baghdad Arrests</h3> <p>On May 28, soldiers in four Humvees and two other unmarked vehicles approached the offices of the human rights group Where Are My Rights in Baghdad’s Bab al Mu’adham neighborhood, as members met with fellow protest organizers from the February 25 Group. Members of both groups told Human Rights Watch that soldiers raided the building with guns drawn, took away 13 activists in handcuffs and blindfolds, and confiscated mobile phones, computers and documents.</p> <p>One detained activist who was released on May 29 told Human Rights Watch that during the raid a commanding officer introduced himself as "from Brigade 43"of the army’s 11<sup>th</sup> Division and said another officer was "from Baghdad Operation Command."</p> <p>"They did not show any arrest warrants and did not tell us why we were being arrested," this activist said:</p> <p>A female activist complained and asked to see warrants, and they told her to "shut up and get in the car." They blindfolded and handcuffed us, and while they were doing this, they asked, "Why are you having these meetings? Do you really think you can bring down the government?" And they asked who was supporting us.</p> </p></div> <p> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2011/06/02/iraq-protest-organizers-beaten-detained-human-rights-watch/#more-13449" class="more-link">» أقرأ التفاصيل .. | Read the rest of this entry »</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-13421"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2011/05/21/iraqi-officials-reject-demilitarization-of-disputed-territories-rudaw-in-english/#respond" title="Comment on Iraqi Officials Reject Demilitarization of Disputed Territories : Rudaw in English">No Comments</a></span> Posted on May 21st, 2011 by markfromireland</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2011/05/21/iraqi-officials-reject-demilitarization-of-disputed-territories-rudaw-in-english/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Iraqi Officials Reject Demilitarization of Disputed Territories : Rudaw in English">Iraqi Officials Reject Demilitarization of Disputed Territories : Rudaw in English</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/analysis/" rel="tag">Analysis</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/arabs/" rel="tag">Arabs</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/bala/" rel="tag">Bala</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/diyala/" rel="tag">Diyala</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/hawija/" rel="tag">Hawija</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/icg/" rel="tag">ICG</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/inis/" rel="tag">INIS</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kirkuk/" rel="tag">Kirkuk</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kirkuk-at-ta%e2%80%99mim-governorate/" rel="tag">Kirkuk (At-Ta’mim) Governorate</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kirkuk-political-violence/" rel="tag">Kirkuk - political violence</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurdistan/" rel="tag">Kurdistan</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurdistan-region/" rel="tag">kurdistan region</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/mosul/" rel="tag">Mosul</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/mosul-violence/" rel="tag">Mosul violence</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ninawa-governorate/" rel="tag">Ninawa (Governorate)</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/peshmerga/" rel="tag">Peshmerga</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/peshmerga-seizure-of-non-kurdish-lands/" rel="tag">Peshmerga seizure of non-Kurdish lands</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/peshmerga-vs-gzg/" rel="tag">Peshmerga vs. GZG</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/political-negotiations/" rel="tag">political negotiations</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rudaw/" rel="tag">Rudaw</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/trigger-line/" rel="tag">Trigger line</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/wladimir-van-wilgenburg/" rel="tag">Wladimir Van Wilgenburg</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <div style="text-align: left; unicode-bidi: bidi-override; direction: ltr"> <p>The latest attacks on police in Kirkuk demonstrate the lack of security in Iraq, especially in areas that are disputed between Kurds and Arabs. The International Crisis Group, in their last report, called for the demilitarization of ethnically mixed regions and the replacement of soldiers with police, but Iraqi officials rejected the idea because security in these areas is poor.</p> </p></div> <p> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2011/05/21/iraqi-officials-reject-demilitarization-of-disputed-territories-rudaw-in-english/#more-13421" class="more-link">» أقرأ التفاصيل .. | Read the rest of this entry »</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-13096"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2011/04/22/analysis-iraqi-kurd-demos-threaten-image/#respond" title="Comment on Analysis: Iraqi Kurd demos threaten image">No Comments</a></span> Posted on April 22nd, 2011 by Burhan Aydin</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2011/04/22/analysis-iraqi-kurd-demos-threaten-image/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Analysis: Iraqi Kurd demos threaten image">Analysis: Iraqi Kurd demos threaten image</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/category/analysis-briefings-commentary/" title="View all posts in Analysis Briefings Commentary" rel="category tag">Analysis Briefings Commentary</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/analysis/" rel="tag">Analysis</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/arbil/" rel="tag">Arbil</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/asos-hardi/" rel="tag">Asos Hardi</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/baghdad/" rel="tag">Baghdad</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/barham-salih/" rel="tag">Barham Salih</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/barzani/" rel="tag">Barzani</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/barzani-clan/" rel="tag">Barzani clan</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/corruption/" rel="tag">Corruption</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/demonstrations/" rel="tag">Demonstrations</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/economic-situation/" rel="tag">economic situation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/economist-intelligence-unit/" rel="tag">economist intelligence unit</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/egypt/" rel="tag">Egypt</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/goran-movement/" rel="tag">Goran Movement</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/graft/" rel="tag">graft</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/human-rights/" rel="tag">Human Rights</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/human-rights-watch/" rel="tag">Human Rights Watch</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/international-republican-institute/" rel="tag">International Republican Institute</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/iraqi-parliament/" rel="tag">iraqi parliament</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/jalal-talabani/" rel="tag">Jalal Talabani</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kdp/" rel="tag">KDP</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurdistan/" rel="tag">Kurdistan</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurdistan-democratic-party/" rel="tag">kurdistan democratic party</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurdistan-region/" rel="tag">kurdistan region</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/nepotism/" rel="tag">Nepotism</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/news-sites/" rel="tag">News Sites</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/othman-mahmoud/" rel="tag">Othman - Mahmoud</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/patriotic-union-of-kurdistan/" rel="tag">patriotic union of kurdistan</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/president-jalal-talabani/" rel="tag">president jalal talabani</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/protests/" rel="tag">protests</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/puk/" rel="tag">PUK</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/reporters-without-borders/" rel="tag">Reporters Without Borders</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/street-protests/" rel="tag">street protests</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sulaimaniya/" rel="tag">Sulaimaniya</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sulaimaniyah/" rel="tag">sulaimaniyah</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/talabani-clan/" rel="tag">Talabani clan</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/unemployment/" rel="tag">unemployment</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/uprisings/" rel="tag">uprisings</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <blockquote><p>Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region, rocked by months of protests where five people have died, risks losing its hard-won reputation as a haven of safety and freedom within the country, experts said.</p> <p>There was still room for talks between protesters and the government, they added, warning any crackdown by Kurdish authorities would inflict immeasurable damage, even straining relations with Washington.</p> <p>The near-daily demonstrations in the region’s second-biggest city of Sulaimaniyah initially decried corruption and nepotism, but have since risen in rancour to call for a complete dissolution of the autonomous government.</p> <p>"Politics in Kurdistan is a very emotive topic," said Ali al-Saffar, an Iraq analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit in London. "All sides have shown quite a lot of restraint, but if something were to happen it could boil over."</p> <p>Saffar noted that if protesters in Sulaimaniyah were attacked en masse by security forces, "the reputational damage will be immense."</p> <p>"Kurdistan has spent millions in Washington lobbying the US government, and if any crackdown were to happen, it would push back relations a great deal," he said.</p> <p>The three-province region, whose assembly makes decisions independent of Baghdad in most policy areas, is reputed for being markedly safer than the rest of Iraq, where hundreds still die on a monthly basis in insurgent violence.</p> <p>As a result, several foreign firms have invested in the region: the only international chain hotel in Iraq is in the Kurdish capital of Arbil, and several shopping malls have recently been built or are under construction with foreign financing.</p> <p>But high levels of unemployment, graft and nepotism in Kurdistan, which has been ruled by two-parties for decades, sparked street protests in Sulaimaniyah from mid-February, fuelled by uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.</p> <p>In three straight days of rallies this week more than 100 protesters were wounded when security forces attempted to disperse demonstrations.</p> <p>Kurdish security officials and local non-governmental organisations said more than 300 protesters had been detained since Saturday at the protests.</p> <p>Paris-based watchdog Reporters Without Borders noted in a statement on Thursday that it was "deeply shocked by a spate of arbitrary arrests," while Human Rights Watch in New York called on Kurdish authorities to "end their widening crackdown on peaceful protests."</p> <p>"The demonstrations started especially with the young generation," said Asos Hardi, a Sulaimaniyah-based Kurdish journalist. "The uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt were the main spurs of the protest but, very quickly, a wider section of society joined in."</p> <p>"If you go back and read reports from international organisations about human rights, freedoms, management and corruption in Kurdistan, you can understand why people are angry with their leaders," added Hardi, who helped found two of the region’s biggest independent newspapers.</p> <p>He noted, however, that despite the poisonous views the protesters and government had of each other, there was still hope for dialogue.</p> <p>Sulaimaniyah, reputed as the intellectual capital of the region, has long been a bastion of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani’s Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. A faction of the PUK, however, split in 2009 and went into opposition.</p> <p>In the regional capital of Arbil, by contrast, the Kurdistan Democratic Party of regional president Massud Barzani retains a tight grip.</p> <p>A poll conducted by the Washington-based International Republican Institute in December offered hints for the causes behind the anger in Sulaimaniyah.</p> <p>Some 62 percent of respondents in Sulaimaniyah said Kurdish MPs were not listening to their needs, and 35 percent said the economic situation in Kurdistan was either "somewhat bad" or "very bad," both of which were the highest in the region.</p> <p>"The KDP and the PUK must change," said Mahmud Othman, an independent Kurdish MP in the Iraqi parliament in Baghdad. "They need to change, definitely, but are they capable, are they serious? That is what remains to be seen."</p> <p>Regardless of possible change, independent journalist Hardi insisted the two months of protests marked a crucial shift in Kurdistan.</p> <p>"Everything in our history has been about protecting our existence as a culture, as a nation, as a people," Hardi said. "But now, these protests are about changing and improving our existence."</p> </blockquote> <blockquote><p><strong>Source:</strong> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=45727" target="_blank" class="external">Middle East Online</a></p> </blockquote> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-13087"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2011/04/22/iraq-widening-crackdown-on-protests-human-rights-watch/#respond" title="Comment on Iraq: Widening Crackdown on Protests | Human Rights Watch">No Comments</a></span> Posted on April 22nd, 2011 by Abdus-Samad</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2011/04/22/iraq-widening-crackdown-on-protests-human-rights-watch/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Iraq: Widening Crackdown on Protests | Human Rights Watch">Iraq: Widening Crackdown on Protests | Human Rights Watch</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/category/human-rights/" title="View all posts in Human Rights" rel="category tag">Human Rights</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/category/iraq/" title="View all posts in News" rel="category tag">News</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/arbil/" rel="tag">Arbil</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/arrests/" rel="tag">Arrests</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/asayish/" rel="tag">Asayish</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/baghdad/" rel="tag">Baghdad</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/constitution/" rel="tag">Constitution</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/corruption/" rel="tag">Corruption</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/death-threats/" rel="tag">Death Threats</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/demonstrations/" rel="tag">Demonstrations</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/dukan/" rel="tag">Dukan</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/freedom-of-expression/" rel="tag">freedom of expression</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/government-services/" rel="tag">Government services</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/harassment/" rel="tag">harassment</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/hrw/" rel="tag">HRW</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/human-rights/" rel="tag">Human Rights</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/human-rights-watch/" rel="tag">Human Rights Watch</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/interior-ministry/" rel="tag">Interior Ministry</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurdistan/" rel="tag">Kurdistan</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurdistan-democratic-party/" rel="tag">kurdistan democratic party</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurdistan-region/" rel="tag">kurdistan region</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurdistan-regional-government/" rel="tag">kurdistan regional government</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/media/" rel="tag">media</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/news/" rel="tag">News Sites</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/news-sites/" rel="tag">News Sites</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/northern-iraq/" rel="tag">northern iraq</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/patriotic-union-of-kurdistan/" rel="tag">patriotic union of kurdistan</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/peaceful-demonstration/" rel="tag">peaceful demonstration</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/protest-campaigns-responses-to/" rel="tag">protest campaigns - responses to</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/protests-against-gzg/" rel="tag">protests against GZG</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/protests-against-gzg-violence/" rel="tag">protests against GZG violence</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/protests-against-krg/" rel="tag">protests against KRG</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/puk/" rel="tag">PUK</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/reporters-without-borders/" rel="tag">Reporters Without Borders</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/right-to-protest/" rel="tag">right to protest</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sara-square/" rel="tag">Sara Square</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/street-protests/" rel="tag">street protests</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/students/" rel="tag">Students</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sulaimaniya/" rel="tag">Sulaimaniya</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sulaimaniya-province/" rel="tag">Sulaimaniya Province</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sulaymaniya/" rel="tag">Sulaymaniya</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tahrir-square-protestor-arrests/" rel="tag">Tahrir Square protestor arrests</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tahrir-square-protests/" rel="tag">Tahrir Square Protests</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d9%85%d9%8a%d8%af%d8%a7%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%aa%d8%ad%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%b1%e2%80%8e/" rel="tag">ميدان التحرير‎</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%a3%d8%b3%d8%a7%d9%8a%d8%b4/" rel="tag">أسايش</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <p>Kurdistan authorities should end their widening crackdown on peaceful protests in northern Iraq, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities should hold accountable those responsible for attacking protesters and journalists in Arbil and Sulaimaniya since April 17, 2011, including opening fire on demonstrators and beating them severely, Human Rights Watch said.</p> <p>Human Rights Watch also called on Iraqi authorities in Baghdad to investigate the detention and torture of a protester, Alaa Nabil, and to charge or release more than two dozen activists held in a prison in Baghdad’s Old Muthanna Airport. Central government and Kurdistan Regional Government authorities should revoke their recent bans on unlicensed demonstrations in Sulaimaniya province and on street protests in Baghdad, Human Rights Watch said.</p> <p>"Iraqi authorities in Kurdistan and Baghdad need to rein in their security forces and protect the right to protest peacefully," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "The Iraqi political authorities need to end their knee-jerk responses and stop banning protests, detaining demonstrators, and beating journalists."</p> <h3>Repression in Kurdistan</h3> <p>In the afternoon of April 18 in Arbil, the Kurdistan capital, dozens of armed men in civilian clothes attacked students from the Kurdistan region’s largest university, Salahadin, as they tried to hold a demonstration. Witnesses told Human Rights Watch that the assailants also attacked journalists and at least one member of parliament.</p> <p>A third-year Salahadin student told Human Rights Watch that a large group of organized assailants wearing civilian clothes attacked the protesters with brute force.</p> <p>"We chanted ‘freedom, freedom,’ and then security forces came and abolished the demonstration," the student said. "They were hitting people by knives and sticks … and arrested 23 protesters."</p> <p>The assailants beat Muhamad Kyani, a member of the Iraqi national parliament for the opposition party Goran (Change) List, and his bodyguard while they were walking away from the demonstration. "There was no violence from us, nothing happened from our side to incite them," Kyani told Human Rights Watch. "I was on my way to the car when the Asayish [the official security agency for the Kurdistan region] threw me to the ground and started to kick and beat me." Kyani had two black eyes and other minor injuries from the beating. "They just wanted to intimidate and insult me and those with me," he said. "During the beating they swore at us and called me a traitor."</p> <p>Reporters without Borders documented attacks on at least 10 journalists covering the April 18 protest. The group said assailants also detained numerous journalists, including Awara Hamid of the newspaper <em>Rozhnam, </em>Bahman Omer of <em>Civil Magazine</em>, Hajar Anwar, bureau chief of the Kurdistan News Network, and Mariwan Mala Hassan, a KNN reporter, as well as two of the station’s cameramen.</p> <p>Shwan Sidiq of <em>Civil Magazine</em> was hospitalized after the assailants broke his hand. "My hand is broken, my head still hurts," he told Human Rights Watch. "What I saw was what in 1988 Saddam Hussein did against me and my family."<strong></strong></p> <p>Security forces of the Kurdistan Regional Government and the two ruling parties there, the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, have used repressive measures against journalists since the start of the protests in Iraq on February 17. The local press freedom group Metro Center has documented more than 150 cases of attacks and harassment of Kurdish journalists since February 17. In March, Human Rights Watch interviewed more than 20 journalists covering the protests in Kurdistan.</p> <p>"Time and again we found that security forces and their proxies violate journalists’ freedom of expression through death threats, arbitrary arrests, beatings, harassment, and by confiscating and vandalizing their equipment," Stork said.</p> <p>In Sulaimaniya, daily clashes since April 17 have injured more than 100 protesters, journalists, and security forces. Witnesses told Human Rights Watch that on April 17 security forces fired live ammunition into the air to clear protesters blocking a road, while others shot into the crowd indiscriminately, wounding at least seven demonstrators.</p> <p>"Police and security forces used everything to attack us," one protester told Human Rights Watch. "They opened fire, threw stones, used sticks and their Kalashnikovs to keep us from demonstrating."</p> <p>Protest organizers told Human Rights Watch that on April 18, security forces violently seized control of Sara Square, the center of daily protests in Sulaimaniya since February 17, and demolished the protesters’ podium. Security forces have fanned out across the city and have refused to allow protesters back to the site – renamed Azadi (Freedom) Square by demonstrators – resulting in clashes on April 18 and 19.</p> <p>On March 6, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/03/07/iraqi-kurdistan-prevent-attacks-protesters" class="external" target="_blank">masked assailants attacked demonstrators</a> and set their tents on fire but failed to evict protesters from the site.</p> <p>On April 19, protest organizers said, security forces detained dozens of students and others in and around Sulaimaniya, releasing most later in the day. One law undergraduate told Human Rights Watch that security forces attacked her and other protesters at the Dukan checkpoint on their way to Sulaimaniya.</p> <p>"We were forced to get off the buses," she said. "They threatened if we went [to the protest], we would be killed. A friend of mine asked them not to shoot us because we have pens and not guns, but when he raised his pen security forces opened fire and he was badly injured."</p> <p>Since then, this student said, she has received anonymous threatening phone calls telling her not to return to Sulaymaniya. Security forces raided Koya University, where she studies, and arrested two students. Their whereabouts remain unknown.</p> <p>The family of a prominent Kurdish writer and activist, Rebin Hardi, told Human Rights Watch that security forces severely beat him during and after his arrest on April 19 for participating in a protest in front of the Sulaimaniya courthouse. Photos taken after his release later that day viewed by Human Rights Watch showed severe swelling up and down the right sight of his body including his eye, arm, and thigh.</p> <p>Since February 17, clashes with security forces have killed at least seven civilians and injured more than 250 demonstrators in Kurdistan, but thousands have continued to protest alleged corruption and the political dominance of the KDP and PUK.</p> <p>On April 19, the government’s Security Committee for Sulaimaniya Province banned all unlicensed demonstrations. Legislation passed by the Kurdistan Regional Government in December gives authorities wide discretion in deciding whether to approve a license for a protest. The law’s wording is exceptionally vague and susceptible to abuse, Human Rights Watch said. Under article 3(c) of the law, authorities can reject a request if "the protest will damage the system or public decency."</p> <h3>Protests in Baghdad</h3> <p>Iraqi security forces in Baghdad are detaining and abusing activists in connection with protests against the chronic lack of basic services and perceived widespread corruption. On April 8, security forces in a vehicle with markings from the 43rd Brigade of the Army’s 11th Division, arrested Nabil at the end of a peaceful protest at Tahrir Square. He was immediately transferred to other security forces in civilian clothing, and held for a week.</p> <p>Released on April 15, Nabil, an organizer of the February 25 Group – one of several groups planning demonstrations in the capital – told Human Rights Watch that he had been beaten repeatedly while his hands were held behind his back with plastic zip-ties, and often while blindfolded. He said his captors also used a stun gun on his arms, chest, and back.</p> <p>"I heard them giving orders to shock us and hit us only below the neck, so there wouldn’t be any marks. They shocked me and hit me on the arms and back and chest," he said. "I got a cut on my head that was bleeding, and one of the guards yelled at another who caused it. ‘Why did you make him bleed? He is a son of a bitch and will make a scandal for us. Do not leave any marks. Hit him in places where there will be no marks.’"</p> <p>Nabil said his captors went through his cell phone and told him, "We know all these numbers, and we are watching and listening to all your calls.’"</p> <p>Nabil had previously been arrested on March 22, and Human Rights Watch witnessed signs of physical abuse immediately after his release from that detention. Human Rights Watch sent inquiries about Nabil’s arrest and others to the offices of the prime minister and security officials but has received no response from authorities.</p> <p>On April 13, security forces entered the adjoining offices of the Federation of Workers Councils and Unions in Iraq (FWCUI) and the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq (OWFI), where the February 25 Group has held meetings in Baghdad. The security forces arrested one of the group’s members, Firas Ali, who has peacefully participated in several of the Tahrir Square demonstrations.</p> <p>A protester detained in early April for taking part in demonstrations at Tahrir Square told Human Rights Watch upon his release that he saw Ali inside a prison in Baghdad’s Old Muthanna Airport. The witness said Ali was being held with more than two dozen protesters, 20 of whom were detained on the day of the April 15 demonstration.</p> <p>Human Rights Watch is also concerned about Haydar Shihab Ahmad, also from the February 25 Group, who has been missing since April 1, just after taking part in that day’s demonstration in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square. Members of his family told Human Rights Watch that they have made several inquiries at prisons in Baghdad in unsuccessful attempts to locate him, and have received no official reply about whether he has been detained.</p> <p>"Iraqi authorities need to release any peaceful protester held incommunicado and without charge, and account for those it is charging with a criminal offense," Stork said.</p> <p>Iraqi authorities have taken several steps to eliminate protests in the capital from public view. On April 13, officials issued new regulations barring street protests and allowing them only at three soccer stadiums.</p> <p>"We have specified Al-Shaab, Kashafa and Zawraa stadiums as permitted sites for demonstrations in Baghdad instead of Ferdus or Tahrir squares," Baghdad’s security spokesman, Major General Qassim Atta, said at a news conference televised by the state broadcaster, Iraqiyya TV. "Many shop owners and street vendors have called us and complained to us because demonstrations have affected their work and the movement of traffic."</p> <p>In late February, Iraqi police <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/02/17/iraq-investigate-protester-deaths" class="external" target="_blank">allowed dozens of assailants</a> to beat and stab peaceful protesters in Baghdad. In the early hours of February 21, dozens of men, some wielding knives and clubs, attacked about 50 protesters who had set up two tents in Tahrir Square. During nationwide February 25 protests, security forces killed at least 12 protesters across the country and injured more than 100. On that day, Human Rights Watch observed Baghdad security forces beating unarmed journalists and protesters, smashing cameras, and confiscating memory cards.</p> <p>On June 25, 2010, in response to thousands of Iraqis who took to the streets to protest a chronic lack of government services, the Interior Ministry issued onerous regulations that <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2010/09/17/iraq-stop-blocking-demonstrations" class="external" target="_blank">effectively impeded Iraqis from organizing</a> lawful protests. The regulations required organizers to get "written approval of both the minister of interior and the provincial governor" before submitting an application to the relevant police department.</p> <p>Iraq’s constitution guarantees "freedom of assembly and peaceful demonstration."As a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Iraq is obligated to protect the rights to life and security of the person, and the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly. Iraq should also abide by the United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms, which state that lethal force may only be used when strictly unavoidable to protect life, and must be exercised with restraint and proportionality. The principles also require governments to "ensure that arbitrary or abusive use of force and firearms by law enforcement officials is punished as a criminal offense under their law."</p> <p><strong>Source:</strong> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/04/21/iraq-widening-crackdown-protests" class="external" target="_blank">Iraq: Widening Crackdown on Protests | Human Rights Watch</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-12286"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2011/01/29/afp-iraq-water-shortages-raising-ethnic-tensions/#respond" title="Comment on AFP: Iraq water shortages raising ethnic tensions">No Comments</a></span> Posted on January 29th, 2011 by Abdus-Samad</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2011/01/29/afp-iraq-water-shortages-raising-ethnic-tensions/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to AFP: Iraq water shortages raising ethnic tensions">AFP: Iraq water shortages raising ethnic tensions</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/category/early-warning/" title="View all posts in Early Warning" rel="category tag">Early Warning</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/agriculture/" rel="tag">Agriculture</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/agriculture-department/" rel="tag">agriculture department</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/arable-land/" rel="tag">arable land</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/drinking-water/" rel="tag">drinking water</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/dukan/" rel="tag">Dukan</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/dukan-dam/" rel="tag">dukan dam</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/electricity/" rel="tag">electricity</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/farmers/" rel="tag">farmers</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/irrigation/" rel="tag">irrigation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kirkuk/" rel="tag">Kirkuk</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurdistan/" rel="tag">Kurdistan</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurdistan-region/" rel="tag">kurdistan region</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurds/" rel="tag">kurds</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rainfall/" rel="tag">rainfall</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/resources/" rel="tag">Resources</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rural-areas/" rel="tag">rural areas</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sulaimaniyah/" rel="tag">sulaimaniyah</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/turkmen/" rel="tag">Turkmen</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/unemployment/" rel="tag">unemployment</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water/" rel="tag">Water</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-flow/" rel="tag">water flow</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-resources/" rel="tag">water resources</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-shortage/" rel="tag">water shortage</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-shortages/" rel="tag">Water Shortages</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-supplies/" rel="tag">water supplies</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <blockquote><p>A worsening water shortage in Iraq is raising tensions in the multi-ethnic Kirkuk province, where Arab farmers accuse the Kurdistan region of ruining them by closing the valves to a dam in winter.</p> <p>"We are harmed by the Kurds, and the officials responsible for Baghdad and Kirkuk will not lift a finger," said Sheikh Khaled al-Mafraji, a leader of the Arab Political Council that groups mainly Sunni tribal leaders.</p> <p>At the heart of the conflict is the Dukan dam, built in 1955 in Iraq’s northern autonomous region of Kurdistan, 75 kilometres (50 miles) northeast of Kirkuk province.</p> <p>"They release too much water from June to September while from October it is the opposite: there is not enough drinking water and even less to irrigate our lands," Mafraji complained.</p> <p>Kirkuk province with its rich oil reserves has 250,000 hectares (617,740 acres) of arable land and 16 percent of its workforce engaged in agriculture, according to UN figures. Winter crops include wheat and corn, and summer harvests are mainly sesame, tomatoes and watermelon.</p> <p>A UN factsheet in October 2010 showed that while more rain fell in 2009 compared with 2008, the situation is still critical. Rainfall is now 50 percent below average.</p> <p>"The central government must intervene immediately to ask that our brothers in the north (Kurds) provide the necessary amounts of water for irrigation," Mafraji said, threatening to hold demonstrations if his voice was not heard.</p> <p>Out of Kirkuk’s estimated 900,000 inhabitants, some 31 percent live in rural areas, UN data shows. They represent all of Iraq’s faiths, and are ethnic Arabs, Turkmen or Kurds.</p> <p>Largely because of its oil riches, Kirkuk is at the centre of a tussle between Iraq’s central government and authorities in Kurdistan, who want to add it to their own region, currently made up of three provinces.</p> <p>"Our suffering began in 2005, when the peasants were forced to set aside one-third of their land and cultivate only small patches near the artesian well" where there was water, said Abdul Rahman al-Obeidi, who owns 450 hectares west of Kirkuk.</p> <p>"The peasants claimed that they (the Kurds) cut off water supplies to force them to leave the area. They do not understand there is a shortage and believe it is a political conflict," he added.</p> <p>For him, it "is the lack of coordination between the authorities in Baghdad and Sulaimaniyah (the province in which the Dukan dam lies) which fuels the notion that the Kurds are responsible."</p> <p>The growing water deficit and dams built by Iraq’s neighbours have significantly reduced the water flow in a country that was until the late 1950s a breadbasket of the Arab world.</p> <p>"The dam holds 1.3 million cubic metres of water," said Shihab Hakim Nader, director of water resources in Kirkuk province.</p> <p>"There is a strategic reserve of 700,000 cubic metres (which must not be used), which means there remains 600,000 cubic metres that can be used. But the rain is becoming more scarce, and the level of the dam is decreasing."</p> <p>"Also, the Kirkuk area receives only 30 cubic metres per second of water, when it should be receiving 75. This is only sufficient for drinking water," he added.</p> <p>The issue is a ticking bomb in a province with strong ethnic loyalties, where Arabs accuse Kurds of intentionally harming the province.</p> <p>"The water issue is critical, and thousands of people driven to unemployment blame their situation on Kurdistan," said Sheikh Burhan Mezher, the head of Kirkuk’s agriculture department.</p> <p>According to Tahseen Kader, a former minister of water resources for the Kurdistan region’s government, the closure of Dukan’s gates is routine and not a matter for concern.</p> <p>"Every year, even during the time of the old regime (of Saddam Hussein who was ousted in 2003) we used to close the dam gates during the winter," he said.</p> <p>Kader said that was done "to conserve water for agriculture in the late spring, and for the production of electricity," and claimed the notion that political motives had driven the dam closure was absurd.</p> <p>"The majority of the inhabitants of the province of Kirkuk are Kurdish, so why would we harm them? We don’t want to harm anyone," he said.</p> </blockquote> <p>Source: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://www.france24.com/en/20110129-iraq-water-shortages-raising-ethnic-tensions" class="external" target="_blank">France24 – Iraq water shortages raising ethnic tensions</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-11862"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/12/05/rudaw-kurdistans-parched-land-in-dire-need-of-rain/#respond" title="Comment on Rudaw: Kurdistan’s Parched Land in Dire Need of Rain">No Comments</a></span> Posted on December 5th, 2010 by Abdus-Samad</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/12/05/rudaw-kurdistans-parched-land-in-dire-need-of-rain/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Rudaw: Kurdistan’s Parched Land in Dire Need of Rain">Rudaw: Kurdistan’s Parched Land in Dire Need of Rain</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/agricultural-land/" rel="tag">agricultural land</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/agriculture/" rel="tag">Agriculture</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/biyare-district/" rel="tag">Biyare district</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/choman-district/" rel="tag">Choman district</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/dams/" rel="tag">Dams</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/drought/" rel="tag">drought</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/erbil/" rel="tag">Erbil</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/farmers/" rel="tag">farmers</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/farms/" rel="tag">farms</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/global-warming/" rel="tag">Global warming</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/graseen-district/" rel="tag">Graseen district</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/iranian-border/" rel="tag">iranian border</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/iraqi-kurdistan/" rel="tag">Iraqi kurdistan</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/irrigation/" rel="tag">irrigation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurdistan/" rel="tag">Kurdistan</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurdistan-meteorology-and-seismology-directorate-kmsd/" rel="tag">Kurdistan Meteorology and Seismology Directorate (KMSD)</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurdistan-region/" rel="tag">kurdistan region</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurdistan-regional-government/" rel="tag">kurdistan regional government</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurds/" rel="tag">kurds</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/makhmour/" rel="tag">Makhmour</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/qaraj-district/" rel="tag">Qaraj district</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rainfall/" rel="tag">rainfall</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rainfall-levels/" rel="tag">rainfall levels</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rania/" rel="tag">Rania</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sulaymaniyah/" rel="tag">Sulaymaniyah</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tawela-district/" rel="tag">Tawela District</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-levels-in-reservoirs-and-dams-and-rivers/" rel="tag">water levels in reservoirs and dams and rivers</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <p>ERBIL, Iraqi Kurdistan:  An agricultural official from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is warning that if there is no rain by December 15th in areas around Erbil and southern Sulaimani, and by the end of this month in other areas of Kurdistan, 85 percent of farms will remain uncultivated this year.</p> <p><a title="20101205_rudaw_drought_article_photo_witrh_caption by Gorillas Guides, on Flickr" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://www.flickr.com/photos/gorillasguides/5233792677/" class="external" target="_blank"><img style="display: inline; margin: 5px 0px 5px 15px" height="214" alt="20101205_rudaw_drought_article_photo_witrh_caption" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358im_/http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5088/5233792677_1b764d63e1_o.jpg" width="375" align="right"/></a>It was this fear that made many Kurds congregate last week in different towns and cities praying for rain, a religious ritual practiced by Muslims worldwide asking God to send His merciful rain.</p> <p>Khaled Suleiman, a 44-year-old farmer, has had his seeds and pesticides ready for nearly two months but he has not been able to cultivate his land because of lack of rain. He fears his land will stay uncultivated this year.</p> <p>Suleiman lives in Qaraj district close to Erbil, the capital of the federal region of Kurdistan. Suleiman’s livelihood depends on his approximately 66 hectares of land. He said that, out of 401 hectares of agricultural land in his village, only 13 hectares of it had been cultivated this year.</p> <p>“We fear we will have a dry year and cannot raise our cattle too. If there is no rain by mid-December then there will be no cultivation here,” he said.</p> <p>There are around 1.5 million hectares of agricultural land in Kurdistan, 88 percent of which depends on rain for cultivation. The Qeraj, Kandinawe and Shemamak plains near Erbil are the areas most under the threat of drought this year.</p> <p>Saeed Mustafa, director of agriculture in Makhmour, said only 668 hectares of the area’s 66,890 hectares of agricultural land had been cultivated this year.</p> <p>According to figures obtained by Rudaw from the Kurdistan Meteorology and Seismology Directorate (KMSD), the highest rate of rainfall in Erbil province this year has been in Choman district, near the border with Iran, which has so far seen 12.3 millimeters.</p> <p>In Sulaimani province, the highest rate of rainfall has been in the Tawela area, also close to the Iranian border, which has reached at 8.7 millimeters.  In Duhok province the highest rate has been 8.1 millimeters in the Graseen area.</p> <p>At the same time last year, Choman had seen 176.8 millimeters of rainfall, Biyare 252.4 millimeters and Graseen 88.8 millimeters.</p> <p>KMSD’s head, Hassan Wehab, said his office did not possess advanced enough technology to forecast several months ahead.</p> <p>“We have 27 weather registration centers and we can only forecast the weather for the next 48 hours,” Wehab said.</p> <p>But he said the delay in rainfall is not necessarily a sign of drought since the rainy season is not over yet. KMSD officials say the rain shortage is mostly due to global warming which has affected other areas of the Middle East, such as Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine/Israel.</p> <p>The looming threat of drought has made some farmers in Kurdistan criticize Kurdistan’s Ministry of Agriculture for failing to implement irrigation projects to reduce their dependence on rainfall.</p> <p>Anwar Omar, director of planning at the Ministry of Agriculture, blamed the low number of irrigation projects on the small budget allocated for this.</p> <p>“In Kurdistan’s five-year strategic agricultural plan, around 70 percent of the budget was earmarked for building dams and irrigation projects, but unfortunately over the past two years only 25 percent of the budget has been injected into the projects,” Omar said. “Because of the budget shortage we have only been able to irrigate 15 percent of agricultural land.”</p> <p>Officials at the Ministry of Agriculture say that, out of 25 proposed dams, only 14 have been approved by the government, and these 14 are only at the stage of signing contracts and surveying.</p> <p>Two dams, one in Koya, south of Erbil, and the other in Garmyan, south of Sulaimani, are currently under construction and are expected to be completed by the end of this year, but they are unlikely to be functioning until after this year.</p> <p><strong>Source:</strong> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://www.rudaw.net/english/kurds/3340.html" class="external" target="_blank">Kurdistan’s Parched Land in Dire Need of Rain</a> | By Rawa Abdulla | Rudaw in English</p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-11826"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/11/30/iraq-civilians-still-suffering-undue-hardship/#respond" title="Comment on Iraq: civilians still suffering undue hardship">No Comments</a></span> Posted on November 30th, 2010 by Abdus-Samad</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/11/30/iraq-civilians-still-suffering-undue-hardship/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Iraq: civilians still suffering undue hardship">Iraq: civilians still suffering undue hardship</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/category/health-crisis-iraq/" title="View all posts in Health" rel="category tag">Health</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/category/human-rights/" title="View all posts in Human Rights" rel="category tag">Human Rights</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/1990-1991-gulf-war/" rel="tag">1990-1991 Gulf War</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/amil/" rel="tag">Amil</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/anbar/" rel="tag">Anbar</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/assayesh/" rel="tag">Assayesh</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/babil/" rel="tag">babil</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/balad-roz/" rel="tag">Balad Roz</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/baquba/" rel="tag">Baquba</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/children/" rel="tag">Children</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/cia/" rel="tag">CIA</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/civilians/" rel="tag">Civilians</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/detainees/" rel="tag">detainees</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/dignity/" rel="tag">dignity</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/disabled-people/" rel="tag">disabled people</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/diyala/" rel="tag">Diyala</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/dohuk/" rel="tag">Dohuk</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/erbil/" rel="tag">Erbil</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/essential-services/" rel="tag">essential services</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/fodder/" rel="tag">Fodder</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/food-parcels/" rel="tag">Food parcels</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/gulf-war/" rel="tag">Gulf War</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/health/" rel="tag">Health</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/hit/" rel="tag">Hit</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/hospitals/" rel="tag">Hospitals</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/human-rights/" rel="tag">Human Rights</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/humanitarian-situation/" rel="tag">humanitarian situation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/husseinia/" rel="tag">Husseinia</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/hygiene/" rel="tag">hygiene</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/hygiene-kits/" rel="tag">hygiene kits</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/icrc/" rel="tag">ICRC</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/imam-ali-general-hospital/" rel="tag">Imam Ali General Hospital</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/indiscriminate-attacks-against-civilians/" rel="tag">indiscriminate attacks against civilians</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/international-federation-of-red-cross/" rel="tag">international federation of red cross</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/international-federation-of-red-cross-and-red-crescent/" rel="tag">International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/international-humanitarian-law/" rel="tag">international humanitarian law</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/iran-iraq-war/" rel="tag">Iran-Iraq War</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/irrigation/" rel="tag">irrigation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/italy/" rel="tag">Italy</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kerbala/" rel="tag">kerbala</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/khalis/" rel="tag">Khalis</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kirkuk/" rel="tag">Kirkuk</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurdish-regional-government/" rel="tag">kurdish regional government</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurdistan/" rel="tag">Kurdistan</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurdistan-region/" rel="tag">kurdistan region</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurdistan-regional-government/" rel="tag">kurdistan regional government</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kuwait/" rel="tag">kuwait</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/limb-fitting/" rel="tag">Limb-fitting</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ministry-of-justice/" rel="tag">Ministry of Justice</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/missing-persons/" rel="tag">missing persons</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/mosul/" rel="tag">Mosul</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/muqdadiya/" rel="tag">Muqdadiya</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/najaf/" rel="tag">Najaf</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/nasiriya/" rel="tag">Nasiriya</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ninewa/" rel="tag">Ninewa</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/peshmerga/" rel="tag">Peshmerga</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/prisoners/" rel="tag">prisoners</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/prisoners-of-war/" rel="tag">prisoners of war</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/red-crescentred-cross/" rel="tag">Red Crescent/Red Cross</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/red-cross-messages/" rel="tag">Red Cross messages</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/refugees/" rel="tag">Refugees</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rehabilitation/" rel="tag">rehabilitation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/reparations/" rel="tag">reparations</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/repatriation/" rel="tag">repatriation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/resources/" rel="tag">Resources</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rules-of-engagement/" rel="tag">rules of engagement</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rural-areas/" rel="tag">rural areas</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sadr-city/" rel="tag">Sadr City</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/salah/" rel="tag">Salah</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sanitation/" rel="tag">sanitation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/security/" rel="tag">Security</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/security-environment/" rel="tag">security environment</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/security-forces/" rel="tag">security forces</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/security-situation/" rel="tag">security situation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sheep/" rel="tag">sheep</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/situation-in-iraq/" rel="tag">situation in iraq</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/students/" rel="tag">Students</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sulaimaniya/" rel="tag">Sulaimaniya</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tarmiya/" rel="tag">Tarmiya</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tarmiyah/" rel="tag">Tarmiyah</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tripartite-commission/" rel="tag">Tripartite Commission</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d9%85%d8%af%d9%8a%d9%86%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b5%d8%af%d8%b1%e2%80%8e/" rel="tag">مدينة الصدر‎</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/vice/" rel="tag">Vice</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water/" rel="tag">Water</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-purification/" rel="tag">water purification</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-shortage/" rel="tag">water shortage</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-shortages/" rel="tag">Water Shortages</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-supply/" rel="tag">water supply</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/wheat/" rel="tag">wheat</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/women-and-children/" rel="tag">Women and Children</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%ac%d9%85%d8%b9%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b5%d9%84%d9%8a%d8%a8-%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%87%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a7%d8%ad%d9%85%d8%b1/" rel="tag">جمعية الصليب والهلال الاحمر</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <p>The persistent lack of security is hampering efforts to provide essential services for civilians. The ICRC is doing its utmost to help meet the most pressing needs. This is an update on these and other <span style="border-right: black 1px solid; padding-right: 5px; border-top: black 1px solid; padding-left: 5px; float: right; padding-bottom: 5px; margin: 5px 0px 5px 15px; border-left: black 1px solid; width: 300px; padding-top: 5px; border-bottom: black 1px solid"><strong><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/home!Open" target="_blank" class="external">ICRC</a> 30-11-2010 <a title="Operational Update" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/update/2010/irak-update-2010-11-30.htm" class="external" target="_blank">Operational Update</a></strong> </span>ICRC activities carried out in Iraq in September and October.</p> <p>Despite improvements in the security situation achieved over the years in many parts of Iraq, ongoing violence continues to claim the lives of hundreds of men, women and children every month, and to have a serious impact on the lives of many more.</p> <p>Over the past year, the lives of many Iraqi civilians have not changed for the better. Civilians continue to carry the heaviest burden amid the widespread violence. They are still the main victims of the indiscriminate attacks and mass explosions that have taken place in cities such as Baghdad, Ninewa, Diyala, Anbar, Najaf, Kerbala and Basra, and that have left, on average, hundreds of people wounded or dead each month this year.</p> <p>"Indiscriminate attacks against civilians inflict tremendous suffering. They are clearly unacceptable. They are contrary to international humanitarian law and to the most basic principles of humanity," said Magne Barth, head of the ICRC delegation in Iraq. "Civilians must be protected against violence, as must be medical personnel and facilities".</p> <p>The humanitarian situation in Iraq remains serious. Iraqis are filled with anxiety and uncertainty about what the future holds. Vulnerable people, such as women heading households, disabled people and detainees, continue to depend to some extent on outside help to meet basic needs.</p> <p>The persistent lack of security and wanton violence have had a considerable effect on the feasibility of providing essential services for the population. The ICRC is doing its utmost to help meet the most pressing needs, especially in rural areas and in the places hardest hit by the conflict and other violence. ICRC activities aim primarily at ensuring that people have access to adequate health, water and sanitation services, and at helping the destitute and other needy people.</p> <p>Visits to detainees held under Iraqi, Kurdistan Regional Government and USF-I authority remain a priority for the ICRC. "Ensuring that detainees are treated humanely and are held in conditions that respect their dignity has been our constant concern since we started working in Iraq 30 years ago," said Mr Barth.</p> <p>The ICRC continues to speak out about the plight of conflict victims in Iraq. It does so in dialogue with as many parties as possible that can influence the situation on the ground. Its aim is to bring about greater respect for civilians and detainees, and to ensure that unimpeded access is granted for humanitarian action to help the people in greatest need throughout the country.</p> <p>"The role of the ICRC, as an impartial humanitarian organization, is crucial to efforts to protect civilians from harm and to ensure that detainees are properly treated and held in decent conditions," said Mr Barth.</p> <p>In September and October 2010, in response to the unstable and often changing security environment, the ICRC made further adjustments to its working procedures so that it could continue to provide services to those who need them most.</p> <h4><b>Bringing aid to vulnerable people</b></h4> <p>The ICRC has maintained its support for people facing special difficulties earning a living and supporting their families, such as women heading households and people with disabilities. In September and October:</p> <ul> <li>hygiene kits and food parcels were provided for more than 5,600 people in the governorate of Mosul; </li> <li>emergency aid was provided for more than 170 displaced people in Sulaimaniya governorate; </li> <li>95 grants were made in Kirkuk, Ninewa, Dohuk, Sulaimaniya and Erbil governorates to enable disabled people to start small businesses and regain economic self-sufficiency. Around 700 disabled people have received such aid since 2008; </li> <li>the livestock of 731 needy farmers in the Kifri district of Diyala governorate were vaccinated; </li> <li>around 950 metric tonnes of wheat seed were delivered to some 3,800 farmers in the governorates of Diyala, Anbar, Salahadin, Baghdad and Babil to help them restore their food production; </li> <li>50 kilometres of irrigation canals serving over 7,000 people were cleaned and renovated in the Khalis and Kifri districts of Diyala governorate; </li> <li>600 sheep and 38 metric tonnes of fodder were distributed to 200 farmers in the Baaj district of Ninewa governorate. </li> </ul> <h4>Assisting hospitals and physical rehabilitation centres</h4> <p>In some rural and conflict-prone areas, health-care services are still struggling to meet the needs of the civilian population. The ICRC continues to help renovate the premises of health-care facilities and train staff. Limb-fitting and physical rehabilitation services are provided by the ICRC to help disabled people reintegrate into the community. In September and October:</p> <ul> <li>10 doctors and 28 nurses successfully took part in a course intended to strengthen emergency services given in Al Sadr Teaching Hospital in Najaf; </li> <li>273 new patients were fitted with prostheses and 1,148 new patients with orthoses at 10 ICRC-supported centres throughout Iraq. </li> </ul> <h4>Providing clean water and sanitation</h4> <p>Access to clean water remains difficult in much of Iraq. ICRC engineers continue to repair and upgrade water, electrical and sanitary facilities, especially in places where violence remains a concern and in rural areas, to improve the quality of services provided in communities and health-care facilities. In September and October, these activities included:</p> <h5>Emergency assistance:</h5> <p>The ICRC delivered water by truck:</p> <p>● in Zharawa district, Sadr City, Husseinia and Maamal to 6,384 internally displaced people; <br/>● to the 385-bed Al Imam Ali General Hospital; <br/>● to the 400-bed Al Kindy General Hospital in Baghdad, which was struggling to cope with summer water shortages.</p> <h5>Support for health-care facilities:</h5> <p>The ICRC completed work upgrading: <br/>● Tarmiyah General Hospital, which serves between 250 and 300 outpatients daily, in Baghdad governorate; <br/>● Tamour primary health-care centre, which serves 50 patients per day, in Kirkuk governorate.</p> <h5>Water supply in hospitals:</h5> <ul> <li>The ICRC completed the installation of drinking-water purification units in Baquba General Hospital, Muqdadiya General Hospital, Baladrooz General Hospital and Al Zahraa Maternity Hospital, with an overall capacity of 600 beds, in Diyala governorate. </li> </ul> <h5>Drinking-water supply:</h5> <ul> <li>Five main projects benefiting around 725,000 people were completed throughout the country. </li> </ul> <h4><b>Visiting detainees</b></h4> <p>ICRC delegates visit detainees in order to monitor the conditions in which they are being held and the treatment they receive. In all cases, the ICRC shares its findings and recommendations confidentially with the detaining authorities, with the aim of obtaining improvements where necessary.</p> <p>In September and October, the ICRC visited detainees held by the correctional service of the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Defence and various Kurdish Regional Government authorities in places of detention in Basra, Thi Qar/Nasiriya, Baghdad, Babil, Kirkuk, Erbil, Dohuk and Sulaimaniya governorates.</p> <p>In some of these places, to help the detaining authority improve conditions of detention, the ICRC gave detainees mattresses, blankets and recreational items such as books and games.</p> <p>The ICRC makes a special effort to restore and maintain ties between detainees and their families. In September and October, over 1,000 Red Cross messages were exchanged between detainees and their families in Iraq and abroad. The ICRC also responded to around 800 enquiries from families seeking information on detained relatives. In addition, it issued 249 certificates of detention to former detainees. The ICRC facilitated the voluntary repatriation of two released detainees, and issued two travel documents to refugees to enable them to resettle abroad.</p> <h4><b>Clarifying what happened to missing people</b></h4> <p>In its role as a neutral intermediary, the ICRC continues to chair the mechanisms set up to address the cases of people who went missing in connection with the 1990-1991 Gulf War. At the 67th session of the Technical Sub-Committee of the Tripartite Commission, held on 28 September in Kuwait, the members of the sub-committee reaffirmed their commitment to accounting for people who went missing in connection with the war. At the sub-committee’s next meeting, which will take place in Kuwait in November, preparations will be made for a joint field mission to the south of Iraq to check on suspected burial sites.</p> <p>On 27 and 28 October, representatives of Iran and Iraq held a high-level meeting in Geneva under ICRC auspices with the aim of determining what happened to people missing in connection with the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War. The meeting was the first of its kind following the signature in October 2008 of a memorandum of understanding between Iran, Iraq and the ICRC aimed at expediting the search for information on people previously registered as, or presumed to be, prisoners of war and on others who have gone missing, and at identifying mortal remains.</p> <p>Relieving the suffering of the families of missing persons by clarifying what happened to their loved ones is one of the ICRC’s priorities. The ICRC continues to provide the Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights and Baghdad’s Medical-Legal Institute with the technical support they require to exchange information and build up their capacity in the area of forensics.</p> <h4><b>Promoting international humanitarian law</b></h4> <p>Reminding parties to a conflict of their obligation to protect civilians is a fundamental part of the ICRC’s work. The organization also endeavours to promote international humanitarian law within civil society. In this framework, it organizes presentations for various audiences, which include military personnel, prison staff, students and professors.</p> <p>In September and October, information sessions on international humanitarian law were organized for members of the Iraqi Army, the Peshmerga forces and Assayesh security forces. In October, a "train-the-trainers" course was organized for 14 members of the Iraqi Centre for Military Values and Professional Leadership Development. One member of the Iraqi armed forces attended an advanced course on international humanitarian law at the International Institute of Humanitarian Law in San Remo, Italy, and another attended a workshop on rules of engagement, also held in Italy.</p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/update/2010/irak-update-2010-11-30.htm" class="external" target="_blank">Iraq: civilians still suffering undue hardship</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-11299"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/07/09/iraqi-interpreters-killing-pits-faith-against-law-iwpr-institute-for-war-peace-reporting/#respond" title="Comment on Interpreter’s Killing Pits Faith Against Law">No Comments</a></span> Posted on July 9th, 2010 by Sagib</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/07/09/iraqi-interpreters-killing-pits-faith-against-law-iwpr-institute-for-war-peace-reporting/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Interpreter’s Killing Pits Faith Against Law">Interpreter’s Killing Pits Faith Against Law</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/category/human-rights/" title="View all posts in Human Rights" rel="category tag">Human Rights</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/category/religion/" title="View all posts in Religion" rel="category tag">Religion</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/apostasy/" rel="tag">apostasy</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/christianity/" rel="tag">Christianity</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/christians/" rel="tag">Christians</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/constitutional-issues/" rel="tag">Constitutional issues</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/death-penalty/" rel="tag">Death Penalty</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/islamic-rules/" rel="tag">islamic rules</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/iwpr/" rel="tag">IWPR</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/justice-ministry/" rel="tag">Justice Ministry</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/karrada/" rel="tag">Karrada</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurd/" rel="tag">kurd</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurdistan/" rel="tag">Kurdistan</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurdistan-region/" rel="tag">kurdistan region</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/murtads/" rel="tag">murtads</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/religion/" rel="tag">Religion</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/religious-freedom/" rel="tag">religious freedom</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/religious-leader/" rel="tag">religious leader</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/religious-minorities/" rel="tag">Religious minorities</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sahwa/" rel="tag">sahwa</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/samarra/" rel="tag">Samarra</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sects/" rel="tag">sects</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/secular-vs-religious/" rel="tag">Secular vs. Religious</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tribal-councils/" rel="tag">tribal councils</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/united-states-military/" rel="tag">united states military</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%a8%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%b3%d9%8a%d8%ad%d9%8a%d9%8a%d9%86/" rel="tag">بالمسيحيين</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <div class="container"> <div class="shadow"> <div class="frame"> <blockquote><p>“The man who wore the chain with the cross deserved to be killed. He was a spy for the Americans and they taught him to leave his religion.”</p></blockquote> <blockquote><p>“He could not bear the shame of his father’s conversion.”</p></blockquote> <blockquote><p>“Killing a man is a sin and killing one’s father is an even bigger sin. Let God judge such a person who converts. Why should we act as Gods”.</p></blockquote> <blockquote><p>“The tribe could expel such a man – but why should he be killed? And by his son? It’s horrible!”</p></blockquote></div> </div> </div> <p> </p> <div style="clear: both"> </div> <p style="margin-top: 15px;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 42px; float: left; margin: 1px 1px 0px 0px; line-height: 36px; font-style: normal! important">T</span>he murder of a former interpreter for the United States military who allegedly abandoned his Muslim faith has revealed the strain facing Iraq’s fragile laws, where a respect for Islamic creed can conflict with a duty to protect human rights.</p> <div style="border-right: lightgrey 1px solid; padding-right: 5px; border-top: lightgrey 1px solid; padding-left: 5px; float: right; padding-bottom: 5px; margin: 5px 0px 5px 15px; border-left: lightgrey 1px solid; width: 300px; padding-top: 5px; border-bottom: lightgrey 1px solid"><a title="20100708Abdul_Hakeem_Ahmed_al-Daraji" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://www.flickr.com/photos/27086036@N02/4777924912/" class="external" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto" alt="20100708Abdul_Hakeem_Ahmed_al-Daraji" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358im_/http://static.flickr.com/4118/4777924912_4ef25c2f6c.jpg" border="0"/></a></div> <p>Hameed al-Daraji was shot dead on Wednesday, June 14, in the Sunni Arab city of Samarra, north of Baghdad. According to security officials, his son confessed in custody that he had killed his father over his conversion to Christianity.</p> <p>Another son and a nephew are wanted over the attack. All three men are suspected of links to a domestic insurgent group allied to al-Qaeda.</p> <p>Hostility towards converts is widespread in Iraq, as in much of the Muslim world. While the country’s laws guarantee the rights of its sizeable religious minorities, they also yield to Islam as an ultimate authority.</p> <p>Many Iraqis – including residents of Samarra and Baghdad and senior clerics from the Sunni and Shia sects – said the former interpreter deserved to be killed in accordance with strict Islamic rules against conversion.</p> <p>Some said they approved of the motive behind the murder, but felt it ought to have been carried out by the man’s tribe, rather than his son.</p> <p>Several religious and political leaders said they could not condemn the killing of converts as it was sanctioned by Islamic scripture.</p> <p>However, a significant minority of Iraqis – including a Christian lawmaker – said they were appalled by the crime.</p> <p>Iraq’s laws have strict penalties for murder and make no allowances for the killing of converts from Islam.</p> <p>However, the constitution describes Islam as a fundamental source of legislation, and adds that no law may be passed that contradicts the principles of Islam, or democracy.</p> <p>IWPR reporters could not reach any members of the dead man’s family for comment.</p> <p>The son accused of the crime has yet to face trial and, despite his reported confession, is presumed to be innocent unless proven otherwise.</p> <p>Though a verdict in the case may be some way off, the issues it raises reflect the grave challenges confronting the country’s battered legal system.</p> <p>While conversions from Islam are rare in Iraq, the reaction to the Samarra killing illustrates the difficulty of balancing ancient articles of Islamic faith against a democratic obligation to guard religious minorities.</p> <p><strong>LACK OF LEGAL CLARITY <br/></strong> <br/>Legal experts interviewed by IWPR said judges were free to reflect religious beliefs in their rulings.</p> <p>Ahmed al-Abbasi, a judge and a senior ministry of justice official, said religious teachings were followed where the law offered no guidance.</p> <p>“There is no law to deal with a convert, so in such cases we have to go to the Islamic rules, because Islam is the main source of legislation,” he said.</p> <p>He conceded that the lack of clarity in the legal system concerning conversions could be problematic.</p> <p>“I don’t know how we deal with such cases, given the new democracy and the absence of relevant laws,” he said.</p> <p>Another expert argued that lighter sentences may be awarded for crimes that were driven by Islamic doctrine.</p> <p>“In Iraqi life, we have a religious verdict and a legal verdict,” said Dhiya al-Saadi, a former head of the union of Iraqi lawyers.</p> <p>“The two may not match each other – but the religious verdict can be seen as a mitigating factor when the judge looks at the motive.”</p> <p>Daraji’s killers could have had a range of motives. Samarra is a stronghold of the Sunni Arab insurgency, which regards Iraqis who have worked with the US military as traitors.</p> <p>Initial reports by news agencies, quoting police officials, had indicated Daraji was killed on the orders of insurgents because of his ties to American forces. He had worked as an interpreter with the US military periodically since 2003.</p> <p>However, security officials and several residents of Samarra told IWPR Daraji was killed because he had recently converted to Christianity.</p> <p>While the hardline ideology of many insurgents is broadly hostile to Christians, animosity towards converts from Islam, known as murtads or religious renegades, is far more widespread across the Muslim world.</p> <p>A police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to the press, said Daraji’s son had confessed he killed his father because of social pressure.</p> <p>“He could not bear the shame of his father’s conversion,” the officer said.</p> <p>Sheikh Talal Hamdan, a local leader of the Sahwa militia, which fought against al-Qaeda, confirmed the account, adding that Daraji had received threats from his nephew over his religious conversion.</p> <p>“It seems the whole tribe agreed on the man’s killing,” said Hamdan, who is involved in the inquiry into the crime.</p> <p><strong>CLERICAL BACKING</strong></p> <p>Those who adopt Christianity would be especially vulnerable in Iraq, where the conflict with US forces was portrayed by insurgents as a holy war against a crusading Christian army. Cases of such conversions are almost unheard of, except in the relatively stable Kurdistan region.</p> <p>“I saw [Daraaji] wearing a chain with a cross on it, which is forbidden in Islam,” said Alaa Dakheel, a farmer and neighbour of the dead man. “It is a religious duty to kill infidels.”</p> <p>Thabit Salah, a barber in his thirties, said no one blamed the son for the murder.</p> <p>“The man who wore the chain with the cross deserved to be killed,” he said. “He was a spy for the Americans and they taught him to leave his religion.”</p> <p>Sarab Emad, a grocery store owner in Samarra, said he agreed with the killing of a murtad. However, he said, “he should have been killed by his tribe, not his son”.</p> <p>“Even the Prophet Abraham did not kill his father, who was an infidel,” he said.</p> <p>Iraqi religious and political leaders of both sects agreed that the killing of converts was sanctioned by Islam.</p> <p>“It is every Muslim’s duty to kill the murtad,” said Sheikh Mohammed al-Ghreri, a Sunni cleric based in al-Ali al-Adhim mosque in southern Baghdad’s Zafraniyah neighbourhood.</p> <p>A senior Shia cleric who did not wish to be identified by the press confirmed to IWPR that the Prophet Mohammed had said those who changed their faith ought to be killed.</p> <p>Authorities from both sects said converts may be killed after following a series of steps, overseen by a religious authority. The steps included warning converts of the consequences of their actions and offering them the chance, within a limited period, to revert to Islam.</p> <p>“The murtad should be killed – there is no mercy in such matters,” said a Sunni religious leader, asking not to be named. “But the man who carries out the killing should be authorised by a senior cleric.”</p> <p><strong>FEARS FOR MINORITIES</strong></p> <p>An Iraqi Christian lawmaker said he was saddened by the crime in Samarra, which went to the heart of a conflict in the judicial system.</p> <p>“This is a contradiction in the Iraqi constitution,” said Emad Yohanna, from the Rafidain list. “One of its main sources is Islam, which imposes the duty to kill a murtad.”</p> <p>“At the same time, the constitution is obliged to protect human rights and religious freedom. It really is a mess.”</p> <p>A former Yezedi member of parliament agreed. "In Iraq we have two laws: Islamic laws and human rights laws. The constitution states that both should be taken into consideration, but sometimes it is not possible to apply both, and in such a case, in Iraq, Islamic laws win," he said.</p> <p>Yohanna said the constitution needed to be amended in order to protect the rights of converts.</p> <p>“I respect Islam but I also believe it’s fine for someone to choose their own religion,” he said.</p> <p>Although many Iraqis said they understood the motives behind the killing of converts, a few said they were appalled by the murder in Samarra.</p> <p>“Killing a man is a sin and killing one’s father is an even bigger sin,” said Sami, a man in his twenties shopping at a music store in the central Arasat district. “Let God judge such a person who converts. Why should we act as Gods?”</p> <p>Waddah, an engineer from Baghdad in his twenties and a devout Muslim, said he felt Islam did not allow the killing of those who had converted out of a genuine belief.</p> <p>“Islam is very clear about freedom of religion,” he said. “I think those who support such killings have been misled by powerful political and religious figures.”</p> <p>Hanan, a Christian woman studying at a medical college in the capital, said the crime defied belief.</p> <p>“The tribe could expel such a man – but why should he be killed? And by his son? It’s horrible!” she said.</p> <p><strong>RELIGIOUS CONSIDERATIONS</strong></p> <p>Most of Iraq’s judicial codes have yet to be updated since the days of the largely secular government of former leader Saddam Hussein.</p> <p>In areas of ambiguity, judges are expected to seek guidance from the constitution, formulated after the US-led invasion in 2003. While the constitution says religion is a private matter beyond the remit of the state, it also describes Islam as a supreme authority in jurisprudence.</p> <p>The law seems particularly stretched when dealing with a bureaucratic necessity that would follow any religious conversion – the alteration of personal details on identity cards.</p> <p>Identity cards carried by all Iraqis list the owners’ religion, though not their sect. In theory, people who change their faith can apply to court for their identity cards to be amended.</p> <p>However, according to Saadi, the former head of the Iraqi lawyers’ union, anyone who converted from Islam could have their appeal rejected by the court.</p> <p>Under the constitution, the law must reflect Islamic doctrine, which regards such conversions as an offence.</p> <p>“In such cases, the judge would rule against the convert,” he said. “It’s a complicated situation. In this respect, the Iraqi constitution does not agree with human rights.”</p> <p>Saadi said the murderer of the interpreter in Samarra would not escape punishment. “A killer is a killer,” he said.</p> <p>“But the period of jailing is up to the judge, who will look at the circumstances of the case.”</p> <p>Tarik Harb, a legal expert with strong ties to the government, said the minimum jail sentence for murder was five years’ imprisonment and the maximum was 15 years. The death penalty was applied for crimes where imprisonment was deemed inadequate.</p> <p>Harb also argued that religious approval for the killing of a convert was not universal.</p> <p>“There are many clerics who believe there is no sanction for such a murder, as God will punish the murtad,” he said.</p> <p>Saadi acknowledged that Islam endorsed the killing of a murtad but argued that it would not always be easy to prove that a dead person had been a convert.</p> <p>Both Saadi and Harb said the judge in the Samarra case might be inclined to give a relatively short sentence for murder if it were proven that the victim’s conversion had provoked the crime.</p> <p>However, Abbasi, the justice ministry official, said he did not believe the killer in the Samarra case would be shown any leniency.</p> <p>Yohanna, the Christian legislator, warned that a relatively mild sentence in the Samarra case might encourage more attacks on converts.</p> <p>Several people interviewed by IWPR in Baghdad said they broadly understood the motive behind the crime.</p> <p>“The murtad should be killed, according to Islam,” said a teacher in his fifties who gave his name as Abu Ridha.</p> <p>“I would not kill him myself,” he added, “because I would rather be sinful in the eyes of God than become a killer.”</p> <p>Alaa Sadiq, a municipal employee in Baghdad’s Sadr city neighbourhood, said a murtad was “more sinful than an infidel because he left the right path, having known it”.</p> <p>However, he said, killing such a person ought to be the responsibility of the tribe rather than a son. “Why should a son do it, when there are others who can do so?” he said.</p> <p>Sabree Ala, a shop-owner in the capital’s Karrada district, said each man was free to choose his faith but it was forbidden to switch between faiths, “If [the dead man] was Christian from the beginning, it would be okay. But conversion is a sin.”</p> <p>He added that he would personally avoid any dealings with such a person, but would stop short of killing him.</p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://www.iwpr.net/report-news/iraqi-interpreter%E2%80%99s-killing-pits-faith-against-law" class="external" target="_blank">Iraqi Interpreter’s Killing Pits Faith Against Law – IWPR Institute for War & Peace Reporting</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="navigation"> <div class="alignleft"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurdistan-region/page/2/">« Previous Entries</a></div> <div class="alignright"></div> </div> </div> <div id="sidebar" class="span-10 last"> <div class="span-10" id="tabs"> <ul> <li class="ui-tabs-nav-item"><a href="#featured-articles">Featured Articles</a></li> <li class="ui-tabs-nav-item"><a href="#latest-articles">Latest Articles</a></li> </ul> <div id="featured-articles" class="widget"> <ul> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/04/19/hezbollah-says-latest-bombings-in-iraq-thwart-mission-to-build-state/">Hezbollah says latest bombings in Iraq “thwart mission to build state”</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/03/22/malaysia-prepares-to-send-peacekeepers-on-humanitarian-mission-to-iraq/">Malaysia Prepares To Send Peacekeepers On Humanitarian Mission To Iraq</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/03/19/sadrists-flood-basra-in-million-strong-demo/">Sadrists flood Basra in million-strong demo</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/03/11/iraqi-refugees-return-home-from-syria-middle-east-al-jazeera-english/">Iraqi refugees return home from Syria – Middle East – Al Jazeera English</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/03/06/iraq-women-in-iraq-fact-sheet-reliefweb/">Iraq: Women in Iraq Fact Sheet | ReliefWeb</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/03/01/the-battle-in-homs-will-breed-more-battles/">The battle in Homs will breed more battles</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/02/29/iraq-protests-fail-to-make-impression-iwpr-institute-for-war-peace-reporting-p215/">Iraq Protests Fail to Make Impression – IWPR Institute for War & Peace Reporting – P215</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/02/27/iraq-film-festival-raising-human-rights-cawareness/">Iraq film festival: raising human rights cawareness:.</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/02/24/niqash-three-million-drink-from-mosuls-poisoned-river/">Niqash: Three million drink from mosul’s poisoned river</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/02/22/iraq-call-to-adopt-modern-irrigation-techniques/">IRAQ: Call to adopt modern irrigation techniques</a></li> </ul> </div> <div id="latest-articles" class="widget"> <ul> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/09/%d8%aa%d8%b3%d9%84%d9%8a%d8%b7-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a7%d8%b6%d9%88%d8%a7%d8%a1-%d8%b9%d9%84%d9%89-%d8%ac%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%a6%d9%85-%d8%a7%d9%85%d8%b1%d9%8a%d9%83%d8%a7-%d9%81%d9%8a-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b9%d8%b1/">تسليط الاضواء على جرائم امريكا في العراق</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/08/%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%83%d9%8a-%d9%8a%d8%ad%d8%b0%d8%b1-%d9%85%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%b3%d8%a7%d8%b3-%d8%a8%d9%87%d9%88%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d9%83%d8%b1%d9%83%d9%88%d9%83-%d9%88%d9%8a%d8%a4/">المالكي يحذر من المساس بهوية كركوك ويؤكد أنها عراق مصغر</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/06/%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%83%d9%8a-%d9%8a%d8%b1%d9%81%d8%b6-%d9%85%d9%87%d9%84%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b2%d8%b9%d9%85%d8%a7%d8%a1-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ae%d9%85%d8%b3%d8%a9-%d9%88%d9%8a%d8%a4%d9%83/">المالكي يرفض مهلة الزعماء الخمسة ويؤكد عدم التزامه بسقف زمني</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/05/%d8%a3%d8%a8%d8%b1%d8%b4%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b3%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%a7%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a7%d8%b1%d8%ab%d9%88%d8%b0%d9%83%d8%b3-%d8%aa%d8%af%d8%b9%d9%88-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b3%d8%a7%d8%b3%d8%a9/">أبرشية السريان الارثوذكس تدعو الساسة العراقيين للتفاهم ومسيحيي كركوك لعدم الهجرة</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/02/%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%b5%d8%af-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ad%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d8%a7%d8%b1%d8%aa%d9%81%d8%a7%d8%b9-%d9%85%d8%a4%d8%b4%d8%b1-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%86%d8%aa%d9%87%d8%a7%d9%83%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d8%b6/">مرصد الحريات : ارتفاع مؤشر الانتهاكات ضد الصحفيين والسلطات تحد من حرية التعبير</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/01/%d8%aa%d9%82%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%b1-%d8%af%d9%88%d9%84%d9%8a-%d9%8a%d9%83%d8%b4%d9%81-%d8%b3%d9%88%d8%a1-%d8%ad%d9%82%d9%88%d9%82-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%86%d8%b3%d8%a7%d9%86-%d8%a8%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b9%d8%b1/">تقرير دولي يكشف سوء حقوق الانسان بالعراق</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/04/30/%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b5%d8%af%d8%b1-%d9%8a%d8%aa%d9%87%d9%85-%d8%ad%d8%b2%d8%a8-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%83%d9%8a-%d8%a8%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%84%d8%b9%d8%a8-%d8%b9%d9%84%d9%89-%d9%88%d8%aa%d8%b1-%d8%a7/">الصدر يتهم حزب المالكي باللعب على وتر الطائفية</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/04/29/%d9%86%d8%b5-%d8%a7%d8%aa%d9%81%d8%a7%d9%82%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d8%b1%d8%a8%d9%8a%d9%84-%d9%85%d8%ad%d9%88%d8%b1-%d8%ae%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%81-%d8%a7%d8%b7%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%81-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b9%d9%85%d9%84/">.نص اتفاقية اربيل محور خلاف اطراف العملية السياسية</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/04/26/%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%aa%d9%8a%d8%a7%d8%b1-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b5%d8%af%d8%b1%d9%8a-%d9%86%d8%ad%d8%a7%d9%88%d9%84-%d9%85%d9%86%d8%b9-%d9%88%d8%ac%d9%88%d8%af-%d8%af%d9%83%d8%aa%d8%a7%d8%aa%d9%88%d8%b1%d9%8a/">التيار الصدري: نحاول منع وجود دكتاتورية جديدة والصدر متخوف من وضع الدولة بكاملها</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/04/24/%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%aa%d9%8a%d8%a7%d8%b1-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b5%d8%af%d8%b1%d9%8a-%d9%8a%d8%a4%d9%83%d8%af-%d8%b9%d8%af%d9%85-%d8%a5%d8%b5%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%b1%d9%87-%d8%b9%d9%84%d9%89-%d8%a8%d9%82%d8%a7%d8%a1/">التيار الصدري يؤكد عدم إصراره على بقاء المالكي ويحذر من فوضى إذا لم يوفر البديل</a></li> </ul> </div> <script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8"> $("#tabs > ul").tabs(); </script> </div> <div class="column span-5 append-1"> <div class="widget"> <h4>Recent Comments</h4> <ul id="recentcomments"><li class="recentcomments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://www.4thmedia.org/2012/05/10/children-of-iraq/" rel="external nofollow" class="url external" target="_blank">The 4th Media » Children of Iraq</a> on <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2008/01/16/medact-wmd-conflict-the-iraq-health-crisis/comment-page-1/#comment-11514">Medact – WMD & Conflict – THE IRAQ HEALTH CRISIS</a></li><li class="recentcomments">محمد الخشالي on <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2011/01/08/%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d9%81%d9%88%d8%b6%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b3%d8%a7%d9%85%d9%8a%d8%a9%d8%a7%d9%83%d8%ab%d8%b1-%d9%85%d9%86-850-%d8%ad%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a9-%d8%b9%d8%a7%d9%86%d8%aa-%d9%85%d9%86/comment-page-1/#comment-11500">المفوضية السامية:اكثر من 850 حالة عانت من العنف الجنسي بين اللاجئين العراقيين في سوريا</a></li><li class="recentcomments">I WAS A PASMARG SIDE BY SIDE WITH BARZINE on <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/05/13/i-am-in-love-with-massoud-barzanis-daughter-a-poem-that-kills-by-sardasht-osman/comment-page-1/#comment-11480">I am in love with Massoud Barzani’s daughter, a poem that kills. By Sardasht Osman</a></li><li class="recentcomments">I WAS A PASMARG SIDE BY SIDE WITH BARZINE on <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/05/13/i-am-in-love-with-massoud-barzanis-daughter-a-poem-that-kills-by-sardasht-osman/comment-page-1/#comment-11479">I am in love with Massoud Barzani’s daughter, a poem that kills. By Sardasht Osman</a></li><li class="recentcomments">عبدالستار on <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/05/05/%d8%ad%d8%b1%d9%8a%d9%82-%d8%b6%d8%ae%d9%85-%d9%81%d9%8a-%d8%ad%d9%82%d9%84-%d8%b9%d8%ac%d9%8a%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%86%d9%81%d8%b7%d9%8a-%d9%8a%d9%88%d9%82%d9%81-%d9%85%d8%b5%d9%81%d9%89-%d8%b5%d9%84/comment-page-1/#comment-11477">حريق ضخم في حقل عجيل النفطي يوقف مصفى صلاح الدين عن العمل</a></li></ul> </div><div class="widget"><h4>Gorilla's Guides On Flickr</h4><p class="flickrrss"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://www.flickr.com/photos/gorillasguides/6531857933/" title="talabani sadr hakim" class="external" target="_blank"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358im_/http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7174/6531857933_2d2ce91e9a_t.jpg" alt="talabani sadr hakim"/></a> </p><br clear="all"/><p class="flickrrss"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://www.flickr.com/photos/gorillasguides/6326224088/" title="20111108_screenshot_seale" class="external" target="_blank"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358im_/http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6019/6326224088_ace54d0721_t.jpg" alt="20111108_screenshot_seale"/></a> </p><br clear="all"/><p class="flickrrss"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://www.flickr.com/photos/gorillasguides/6240548481/" title="Davutoglu_zebari" class="external" target="_blank"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358im_/http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6040/6240548481_0e21ae61db_t.jpg" alt="Davutoglu_zebari"/></a> </p><br clear="all"/><p class="flickrrss"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://www.flickr.com/photos/gorillasguides/6137215134/" title="sadr_ceasefire" class="external" target="_blank"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358im_/http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6183/6137215134_4ff6756e22_t.jpg" alt="sadr_ceasefire"/></a> </p><br clear="all"/><p class="flickrrss"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://www.flickr.com/photos/gorillasguides/6130245209/" title="baha_moussa" class="external" target="_blank"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358im_/http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6181/6130245209_4c08ac7e03_t.jpg" alt="baha_moussa"/></a> </p><br clear="all"/><p class="flickrrss"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://www.flickr.com/photos/gorillasguides/5905280973/" title="uk_independent_obama_withdrawal" class="external" target="_blank"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358im_/http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5115/5905280973_bcaa8dbfbc_t.jpg" alt="uk_independent_obama_withdrawal"/></a> </p><br clear="all"/></div><div class="widget"><h4> </h4><div id="calendar_wrap"><table id="wp-calendar" summary="Calendar"> <caption>May 2012</caption> <thead> <tr> <th abbr="Monday" scope="col" title="Monday">M</th> <th abbr="Tuesday" scope="col" title="Tuesday">T</th> <th abbr="Wednesday" scope="col" title="Wednesday">W</th> <th abbr="Thursday" scope="col" title="Thursday">T</th> <th abbr="Friday" scope="col" title="Friday">F</th> <th abbr="Saturday" scope="col" title="Saturday">S</th> <th abbr="Sunday" scope="col" title="Sunday">S</th> </tr> </thead> <tfoot> <tr> <td abbr="April" colspan="3" id="prev"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/04/" title="View posts for April 2012">« Apr</a></td> <td class="pad"> </td> <td colspan="3" id="next" class="pad"> </td> </tr> </tfoot> <tbody> <tr> <td colspan="1" class="pad"> </td><td><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/01/" title="تقرير دولي يكشف سوء حقوق الانسان بالعراق">1</a></td><td><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/02/" title="مرصد الحريات : ارتفاع مؤشر الانتهاكات ضد الصحفيين والسلطات تحد من حرية التعبير">2</a></td><td>3</td><td>4</td><td><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/05/" title="أبرشية السريان الارثوذكس تدعو الساسة العراقيين للتفاهم ومسيحيي كركوك لعدم الهجرة">5</a></td><td><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/06/" title="المالكي يرفض مهلة الزعماء الخمسة ويؤكد عدم التزامه بسقف زمني">6</a></td> </tr> <tr> <td>7</td><td><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/08/" title="المالكي يحذر من المساس بهوية كركوك ويؤكد أنها عراق مصغر">8</a></td><td><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/09/" title="تسليط الاضواء على جرائم امريكا في العراق">9</a></td><td>10</td><td>11</td><td>12</td><td>13</td> </tr> <tr> <td id="today">14</td><td>15</td><td>16</td><td>17</td><td>18</td><td>19</td><td>20</td> </tr> <tr> <td>21</td><td>22</td><td>23</td><td>24</td><td>25</td><td>26</td><td>27</td> </tr> <tr> <td>28</td><td>29</td><td>30</td><td>31</td> <td class="pad" colspan="3"> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table></div></div><div class="widget"><h4>Archives</h4> <select name="archive-dropdown" onchange="document.location.href=this.options[this.selectedIndex].value;"> <option value="">Select Month</option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/"> May 2012 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2012/04/"> April 2012 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2012/03/"> March 2012 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2012/02/"> February 2012 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2012/01/"> January 2012 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2011/12/"> December 2011 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2011/11/"> November 2011 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2011/10/"> October 2011 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2011/09/"> September 2011 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2011/07/"> July 2011 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2011/06/"> June 2011 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2011/05/"> May 2011 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2011/04/"> April 2011 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2011/03/"> March 2011 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2011/02/"> February 2011 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2011/01/"> January 2011 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2010/12/"> December 2010 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2010/11/"> November 2010 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2010/10/"> October 2010 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2010/09/"> September 2010 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2010/08/"> August 2010 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2010/07/"> July 2010 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2010/06/"> June 2010 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2010/05/"> May 2010 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2010/04/"> April 2010 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2010/03/"> March 2010 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2010/02/"> February 2010 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2010/01/"> January 2010 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2009/12/"> December 2009 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2009/11/"> November 2009 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2009/10/"> October 2009 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2009/09/"> September 2009 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2009/08/"> August 2009 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2009/07/"> July 2009 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2009/06/"> June 2009 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2009/05/"> May 2009 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2009/04/"> April 2009 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2009/03/"> March 2009 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2009/02/"> February 2009 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2009/01/"> January 2009 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2008/12/"> December 2008 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2008/11/"> November 2008 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2008/10/"> October 2008 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2008/09/"> September 2008 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2008/08/"> August 2008 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2008/07/"> July 2008 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2008/06/"> June 2008 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2008/05/"> May 2008 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2008/04/"> April 2008 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2008/03/"> March 2008 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2008/02/"> February 2008 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2008/01/"> January 2008 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2007/12/"> December 2007 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2007/11/"> November 2007 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2007/10/"> October 2007 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2007/09/"> September 2007 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2007/08/"> August 2007 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2007/07/"> July 2007 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2007/06/"> June 2007 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2007/05/"> May 2007 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2007/04/"> April 2007 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2007/03/"> March 2007 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2007/02/"> February 2007 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2007/01/"> January 2007 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2006/12/"> December 2006 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2006/11/"> November 2006 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2006/10/"> October 2006 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2006/09/"> September 2006 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2006/08/"> August 2006 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2006/07/"> July 2006 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2006/06/"> June 2006 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2006/05/"> May 2006 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2006/04/"> April 2006 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2006/03/"> March 2006 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2006/02/"> February 2006 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2006/01/"> January 2006 </option> </select> </div><div class="widget">  <form id="asl_form" action="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/" method="get"><h2>Search this site</h2><p><input type="hidden" name="s" value="as_perform_advancedsearch"/><input type="hidden" name="as_perform_advancedsearch" value="true"/><label for="asl_searchquery">Search query:</label> <a onclick="as_openhint(this.href); return false" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/?as_hintpopup=show">(Help)</a><br/><input type="text" class="as_styled" size="35" name="as_searchquery" id="asl_searchquery" value=""/></p>as <input type="radio" class="radio" onchange="as_stringsearch("asl_")" name="as_querytype" id="asl_querytype_words" value="words" checked="checked"/> <label for="asl_querytype_words">words</label> <input type="radio" class="radio" onchange="as_stringsearch("asl_")" name="as_querytype" id="asl_querytype_string" value="string"/> <label for="asl_querytype_string">string</label><fieldset><legend>include results from</legend><ul><li><input type="radio" name="as_posts_pages" value="both" id="asl_posts_pages_both" checked="checked"/> <label for="asl_posts_pages_both">posts and pages</label></li><li><input type="radio" name="as_posts_pages" value="posts" id="asl_posts_pages_posts"/> <label for="asl_posts_pages_posts">posts only</label></li><li><input type="radio" name="as_posts_pages" value="pages" id="asl_posts_pages_pages"/> <label for="asl_posts_pages_pages">pages only</label></li></ul><ul><li><input type="checkbox" class="checkbox" name="as_comments" id="asl_comments"/> <label for="asl_comments">incl. comments</label></li></ul><input type="hidden" name="as_includefrom_available" value="true"/></fieldset><fieldset class="as_sortandorder"><legend>sort by</legend><ul class="as_sort"><li><input type="radio" class="radio" name="as_sortby" id="asl_sortby_rel" value="relevance" checked="checked"/> <label for="asl_sortby_rel">relevance</label></li><li><input type="radio" class="radio" name="as_sortby" id="asl_sortby_date" value="date"/> <label for="asl_sortby_date">date</label></li></ul><ul class="as_order"><li><input type="radio" class="radio" name="as_order" id="asl_order_desc" value="desc" checked="checked"/> <label for="asl_order_desc">descending</label></li><li><input type="radio" class="radio" name="as_order" id="asl_order_asc" value="asc"/> <label for="asl_order_asc">ascending</label></li></ul></fieldset><p><input type="submit" class="as_styled" value="Search"/></p><p id="asl_credits"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://www.zirona.com/software/wordpress-advanced-search/" class="external" target="_blank">AdvancedSearch Lite</a></p></form>  </div> </div> <div class="column span-4 last"> <div class="widget"> <h4>Last 15 Posts</h4> <ul> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/09/%d8%aa%d8%b3%d9%84%d9%8a%d8%b7-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a7%d8%b6%d9%88%d8%a7%d8%a1-%d8%b9%d9%84%d9%89-%d8%ac%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%a6%d9%85-%d8%a7%d9%85%d8%b1%d9%8a%d9%83%d8%a7-%d9%81%d9%8a-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b9%d8%b1/" title="تسليط الاضواء على جرائم امريكا في العراق">تسليط الاضواء على جرائم امريكا في العراق </a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/08/%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%83%d9%8a-%d9%8a%d8%ad%d8%b0%d8%b1-%d9%85%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%b3%d8%a7%d8%b3-%d8%a8%d9%87%d9%88%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d9%83%d8%b1%d9%83%d9%88%d9%83-%d9%88%d9%8a%d8%a4/" title="المالكي يحذر من المساس بهوية كركوك ويؤكد أنها عراق مصغر">المالكي يحذر من المساس بهوية كركوك ويؤكد أنها عراق مصغر </a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/06/%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%83%d9%8a-%d9%8a%d8%b1%d9%81%d8%b6-%d9%85%d9%87%d9%84%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b2%d8%b9%d9%85%d8%a7%d8%a1-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ae%d9%85%d8%b3%d8%a9-%d9%88%d9%8a%d8%a4%d9%83/" title="المالكي يرفض مهلة الزعماء الخمسة ويؤكد عدم التزامه بسقف زمني">المالكي يرفض مهلة الزعماء الخمسة ويؤكد عدم التزامه بسقف زمني </a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/05/%d8%a3%d8%a8%d8%b1%d8%b4%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b3%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%a7%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a7%d8%b1%d8%ab%d9%88%d8%b0%d9%83%d8%b3-%d8%aa%d8%af%d8%b9%d9%88-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b3%d8%a7%d8%b3%d8%a9/" title="أبرشية السريان الارثوذكس تدعو الساسة العراقيين للتفاهم ومسيحيي كركوك لعدم الهجرة">أبرشية السريان الارثوذكس تدعو الساسة العراقيين للتفاهم ومسيحيي كركوك لعدم الهجرة </a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/02/%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%b5%d8%af-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ad%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d8%a7%d8%b1%d8%aa%d9%81%d8%a7%d8%b9-%d9%85%d8%a4%d8%b4%d8%b1-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%86%d8%aa%d9%87%d8%a7%d9%83%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d8%b6/" title="مرصد الحريات : ارتفاع مؤشر الانتهاكات ضد الصحفيين والسلطات تحد من حرية التعبير">مرصد الحريات : ارتفاع مؤشر الانتهاكات ضد الصحفيين والسلطات تحد من حرية التعبير </a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/01/%d8%aa%d9%82%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%b1-%d8%af%d9%88%d9%84%d9%8a-%d9%8a%d9%83%d8%b4%d9%81-%d8%b3%d9%88%d8%a1-%d8%ad%d9%82%d9%88%d9%82-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%86%d8%b3%d8%a7%d9%86-%d8%a8%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b9%d8%b1/" title="تقرير دولي يكشف سوء حقوق الانسان بالعراق">تقرير دولي يكشف سوء حقوق الانسان بالعراق </a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/04/30/%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b5%d8%af%d8%b1-%d9%8a%d8%aa%d9%87%d9%85-%d8%ad%d8%b2%d8%a8-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%83%d9%8a-%d8%a8%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%84%d8%b9%d8%a8-%d8%b9%d9%84%d9%89-%d9%88%d8%aa%d8%b1-%d8%a7/" title="الصدر يتهم حزب المالكي باللعب على وتر الطائفية">الصدر يتهم حزب المالكي باللعب على وتر الطائفية </a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/04/29/%d9%86%d8%b5-%d8%a7%d8%aa%d9%81%d8%a7%d9%82%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d8%b1%d8%a8%d9%8a%d9%84-%d9%85%d8%ad%d9%88%d8%b1-%d8%ae%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%81-%d8%a7%d8%b7%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%81-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b9%d9%85%d9%84/" title=".نص اتفاقية اربيل محور خلاف اطراف العملية السياسية">.نص اتفاقية اربيل محور خلاف اطراف العملية السياسية </a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/04/26/%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%aa%d9%8a%d8%a7%d8%b1-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b5%d8%af%d8%b1%d9%8a-%d9%86%d8%ad%d8%a7%d9%88%d9%84-%d9%85%d9%86%d8%b9-%d9%88%d8%ac%d9%88%d8%af-%d8%af%d9%83%d8%aa%d8%a7%d8%aa%d9%88%d8%b1%d9%8a/" title="التيار الصدري: نحاول منع وجود دكتاتورية جديدة والصدر متخوف من وضع الدولة بكاملها">التيار الصدري: نحاول منع وجود دكتاتورية جديدة والصدر متخوف من وضع الدولة بكاملها </a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/04/24/%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%aa%d9%8a%d8%a7%d8%b1-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b5%d8%af%d8%b1%d9%8a-%d9%8a%d8%a4%d9%83%d8%af-%d8%b9%d8%af%d9%85-%d8%a5%d8%b5%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%b1%d9%87-%d8%b9%d9%84%d9%89-%d8%a8%d9%82%d8%a7%d8%a1/" title="التيار الصدري يؤكد عدم إصراره على بقاء المالكي ويحذر من فوضى إذا لم يوفر البديل">التيار الصدري يؤكد عدم إصراره على بقاء المالكي ويحذر من فوضى إذا لم يوفر البديل </a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/04/23/%d9%85%d9%82%d8%aa%d9%84-%d8%b6%d8%a7%d8%a8%d8%b7%d9%8a%d9%86-%d8%a8%d8%ac%d9%87%d8%a7%d8%b2-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%ae%d8%a7%d8%a8%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d8%a8%d9%87%d8%ac%d9%88%d9%85-%d9%85%d8%b3%d9%84/" title="مقتل ضابطين بجهاز المخابرات بهجوم مسلح غرب بغداد">مقتل ضابطين بجهاز المخابرات بهجوم مسلح غرب بغداد </a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/04/22/%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%83%d9%8a-%d9%8a%d8%b5%d9%84-%d8%a5%d9%84%d9%89-%d8%b7%d9%87%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%86-%d8%b9%d9%84%d9%89-%d8%b1%d8%a3%d8%b3-%d9%88%d9%81%d8%af-%d9%88%d8%b2%d8%a7%d8%b1%d9%8a/" title="المالكي يصل إلى طهران على رأس وفد وزاري في زيارة رسمية">المالكي يصل إلى طهران على رأس وفد وزاري في زيارة رسمية </a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/04/19/%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%af%d8%a7%d8%ae%d9%84%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%aa%d8%a4%d9%83%d8%af-%d9%88%d9%82%d9%88%d8%b9-14-%d8%aa%d9%81%d8%ac%d9%8a%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%8b-%d8%a8%d8%a3%d9%86%d8%ad%d8%a7%d8%a1-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b9/" title="الداخلية تؤكد وقوع 14 تفجيراً بأنحاء العراق ومقتل وإصابة 55 بينهم إيرانيون من جرائها">الداخلية تؤكد وقوع 14 تفجيراً بأنحاء العراق ومقتل وإصابة 55 بينهم إيرانيون من جرائها </a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/04/19/hezbollah-says-latest-bombings-in-iraq-thwart-mission-to-build-state/" title="Hezbollah says latest bombings in Iraq “thwart mission to build state”">Hezbollah says latest bombings in Iraq “thwart mission to build state” </a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/04/18/%d9%82%d9%8a%d8%b3-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ae%d8%b2%d8%b9%d9%84%d9%8a-%d9%86%d8%af%d8%b9%d9%88-%d8%a5%d9%84%d9%89-%d9%85%d8%b5%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ad%d8%a9-%d8%b4%d8%b9%d8%a8%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d9%84%d9%85%d9%86%d8%b9/" title="قيس الخزعلي: ندعو إلى مصالحة شعبية لمنع عودة الاقتتال الطائفي في البلاد">قيس الخزعلي: ندعو إلى مصالحة شعبية لمنع عودة الاقتتال الطائفي في البلاد </a></li> </ul> </div><div class="widget"><h4>Tags</h4><div><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a3%d9%86%d8%a8%d8%a7%d8%b1%e2%80%8e/" class="tag-link-3033" title="245 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.1506080449pt;">الأنبار‎</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a8%d8%b5%d8%b1%d8%a9%e2%80%8e/" class="tag-link-2945" title="371 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.97567820393pt;">البصرة‎</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d9%88%d8%b5%d9%84/" class="tag-link-2939" title="638 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 10.72404116pt;">الموصل</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d9%88%d8%b5%d9%84%e2%80%8e/" class="tag-link-1885" title="356 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.87745556595pt;">الموصل‎</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%a8%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%b3%d9%8a%d8%ad%d9%8a%d9%8a%d9%86/" class="tag-link-6475" title="367 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.94948550047pt;">بالمسيحيين</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%a8%d8%ba%d8%af%d8%a7%d8%af/" class="tag-link-2942" title="833 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 12.0009354537pt;">بغداد</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%ad%d8%b1%d9%83%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b5%d8%af%d8%b1/" class="tag-link-6346" title="266 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.28811973807pt;">حركة الصدر</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%af%d9%8a%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%89/" class="tag-link-2941" title="469 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 9.61739943873pt;">ديالى</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d9%83%d8%b1%d9%83%d9%88%d9%83/" class="tag-link-2943" title="447 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 9.47333956969pt;">كركوك</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d9%85%d8%af%d9%8a%d9%86%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b5%d8%af%d8%b1%e2%80%8e/" class="tag-link-2955" title="298 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.49766136576pt;">مدينة الصدر‎</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/al-anbar-governorate/" class="tag-link-219" title="371 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.97567820393pt;">Al Anbar (Governorate)</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/anbar/" class="tag-link-4328" title="331 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.71375116932pt;">Anbar</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/baghdad/" class="tag-link-5" title="1,004 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 13.1206735267pt;">Baghdad</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/basrah/" class="tag-link-377" title="426 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 9.33582787652pt;">Basrah</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/bombings/" class="tag-link-52" title="691 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 11.0710944808pt;">Bombings</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/child-poverty/" class="tag-link-112" title="242 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.13096351731pt;">Child Poverty</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/children/" class="tag-link-20" title="567 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 10.2591206735pt;">Children</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/christians/" class="tag-link-282" title="371 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.97567820393pt;">Christians</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/death-squads/" class="tag-link-114" title="300 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.51075771749pt;">Death Squads</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/diyala/" class="tag-link-1006" title="554 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 10.1739943873pt;">Diyala</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ethnic-cleansing-of-christians/" class="tag-link-728" title="275 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.34705332086pt;">Ethnic cleansing of Christians</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/fallujah/" class="tag-link-26" title="225 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.0196445276pt;">Fallujah</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/features/" class="tag-link-14" title="263 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.26847521048pt;">Features</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/follow-up/" class="tag-link-21" title="243 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.13751169317pt;">Follow Up</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/human-rights/" class="tag-link-18" title="371 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.97567820393pt;">Human Rights</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/iran/" class="tag-link-100" title="222 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8pt;">Iran</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/irin/" class="tag-link-311" title="266 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.28811973807pt;">IRIN</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/karbala/" class="tag-link-806" title="255 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.21608980355pt;">Karbala</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kirkuk/" class="tag-link-2991" title="597 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 10.4555659495pt;">Kirkuk</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/middle-east/" class="tag-link-208" title="372 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.98222637979pt;">Middle East</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/mosul/" class="tag-link-78" title="766 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 11.5622076707pt;">Mosul</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ninawa-governorate/" class="tag-link-73" title="651 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 10.8091674462pt;">Ninawa (Governorate)</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/politics-and-security/" class="tag-link-1614" title="2,360 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 22pt;">Politics and Security</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/poverty/" class="tag-link-113" title="306 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.55004677268pt;">Poverty</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/previous-site/" class="tag-link-11" title="268 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.3012160898pt;">Previous Site</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/refugees/" class="tag-link-32" title="478 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 9.67633302152pt;">Refugees</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/religion/" class="tag-link-143" title="291 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.45182413471pt;">Religion</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sadr-city/" class="tag-link-106" title="255 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.21608980355pt;">Sadr City</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sadrist-bloc/" class="tag-link-324" title="277 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.36014967259pt;">Sadrist Bloc</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sermon-reports/" class="tag-link-238" title="227 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.03274087933pt;">Sermon Reports</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/society-and-economy/" class="tag-link-771" title="460 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 9.55846585594pt;">Society And Economy</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/summaries/" class="tag-link-1540" title="656 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 10.8419083255pt;">Summaries</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/syria/" class="tag-link-48" title="274 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.340505145pt;">Syria</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-crisis-iraq/" class="tag-link-123" title="243 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.13751169317pt;">Water Crisis (Iraq)</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/women-and-children/" class="tag-link-336" title="526 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 9.99064546305pt;">Women and Children</a></div> </div><div class="widget"><h4>Meta</h4> <ul> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/wp-login.php">Log in</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/feed/" title="Syndicate this site using RSS 2.0">Entries <abbr title="Really Simple Syndication">RSS</abbr></a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://gorillasguides.com/comments/feed/" title="The latest comments to all posts in RSS">Comments <abbr title="Really Simple Syndication">RSS</abbr></a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://wordpress.org/" title="Powered by WordPress, state-of-the-art semantic personal publishing platform." class="external" target="_blank">WordPress.org</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <hr/> <div id="footer"> <strong>Gorilla’s Guides</strong> is proudly powered by <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://wordpress.org/" class="external" target="_blank">WordPress</a> on <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://neewee.com/" class="external" target="_blank">NeeWee Wordpress Theme</a> by <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120514035358/http://frontendbook.com/" class="external" target="_blank">Front End Book</a> </div> </div> </body> </html>