Human rights center: The new Iraqi parliament speaker is violating the constitution and threatening journalists.
Human rights center: The new Iraqi parliament speaker is violating the constitution and threatening journalists.
2026-01-04 04:14
Shafaq News – Baghdad
The Iraq Center for Human Rights expressed on Sunday its strong condemnation of what it described as the “violations” issued by the Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, Hebat al-Halbousi, considering them to be a direct attack on freedom of expression and freedom of opinion, a clear violation of the provisions of the Iraqi Constitution, especially Article (38) thereof, and a serious violation of the principles of the democratic system and basic rights and freedoms.
The center stated in a statement received by Shafaq News Agency that it had documented the Speaker of Parliament “personally contacting a number of journalists, activists, and political observers and directly threatening them” because of their exercise of their legitimate right to peaceful criticism and their discussion of his performance and general conduct, including observations related to official protocol, the public image of the Parliament institution, and the nature of the Speaker’s representation of the Iraqi state as a sovereign position.
The statement indicated that “the use of threatening language, whether through brandishing the law or social and tribal influence, is unacceptable behavior and has no relation to a state of institutions or the principle of the rule of law,” stressing that these practices represent “the first explicit and direct violation of freedom of expression issued by the head of the legislative authority,” which he described as “extremely dangerous.”
The center added that the occurrence of these violations “shortly after assuming office reflects a clear failure in the first real test of respect for public freedoms,” and indicates “an exclusionary tendency that is inconsistent with the nature of the democratic system and with the supposed constitutional role of the Speaker of the House of Representatives as a guarantor of pluralism and a protector of free debate.”
The Iraq Center for Human Rights stressed that “peaceful criticism, however sharp or uncomfortable, is an integral part of democratic action and a tool for correction and accountability,” warning that any attempt to silence critical voices or intimidate journalists and activists constitutes a direct violation of Article (38) of the Iraqi Constitution, as well as being in conflict with Article (19) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The statement stressed that continuing this approach “not only harms the targeted individuals, but also harms the institution of parliament itself, and undermines citizens’ confidence in the democratic process.”
The human rights center held the Speaker of Parliament “fully responsible for these violations,” while emphasizing its commitment to documenting and pursuing them legally and through the media, and referring them to the relevant national and international bodies, in defense of freedom of expression as a “red line that cannot be crossed.”
shafaq.com
