Parliament building devoid of demonstrators, and sit-ins are concentrated in its surroundings (new photos)

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Sadr's minister publishes instructions to protesters and waves "another Friday prayer"

 |   07:56 - 31/07/2022

 

 

Sadr's minister publishes instructions to protesters and waves "another Friday prayer" (mawazin.net)

 

Baghdad: Saleh Mohammed al-Iraqi, alias Sadrist Prime Minister Moqtada Sadr,
published a set of instructions to demonstrators in the Green Zone.
"Instructions to demonstrators and protesters against corruption, quotas and dependency:
1- It is okay to hold Husseini rituals, but I would like them to be outside the parliament building without addressing things that some consider sectarian," al-Iraqi said in a Facebook post followed by Mawazine News.
2- Not to create a building at all. Mobile caravans and the like can be used.
3- Commitment to the cleanliness of parliament and even absolute places.
4- Failure to obtain individual data.
5- Organizing the sit-in and adopting the principle of healing for its permanence and continuity, as well as preventing the sit-in of women at all.
6- The formation of service committees and patrol guards without the use of any weapon at all.
7. Friday prayers are likely to be held in the courtyard of the celebrations, so you must abide by and reflect a beautiful image through organization and discipline.
8- The feelings of others who do not belong to the current must be taken into account in order to be of help and support to you and for the protests to be public and not private.
9- Full cooperation with the brothers in the security services.
10. Maintaining public and private property and not approaching residential homes."

 

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Hundreds of Sadr supporters camp at Iraqi parliament for second day

• AFP
•  July 31, 2022
•  Hundreds of Sadr supporters camp at Iraqi parliament for second day - Iraqi News
•  3 min

Supporters of Iraqi cleric Moqtada Sadr distribute water to fellow demonstrators, outside Iraq’s parliament building on the second day of their occupation

Baghdad – Hundreds of followers of powerful Iraqi Shiite preacher Moqtada Sadr began a second day camped at the country’s parliament on Sunday.

Despite tear gas, water cannon and baking temperatures that touched 47 degrees Celsius (116 degrees Fahrenheit), they stormed the complex on Saturday after pulling down heavy concrete barricades on roads leading to Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone of diplomatic and government buildings.

Nearly ten months after October elections, Iraq is still without a new government despite intense negotiations between factions.

Analysts have said Sadr, a mercurial cleric who once led a militia against US and Iraqi government forces, is using street protests to signal that his views must be taken into account in government formation.

The immediate trigger for the occupation was the decision by a rival Shiite bloc, which is pro-Iran, to pick Mohammed Shia al-Sudani for the prime minister’s post.

On Sunday morning, the demonstrators marked the Muslim month of Muharram, a traditional Shiite celebration, with religious chants and collective meals.

“We were hoping for the best but we got the worst. The politicians currently in parliament have brought us nothing,” said one of the protesters, Abdelwahab al-Jaafari, 45, a day labourer with nine children.

Volunteers distributed soup, hard-boiled eggs, bread and water to the protesters.

Some had spent the night inside the air conditioned building — which dates from dictator Saddam Hussein’s era — with blankets spread out on the marble floors.

Others took to the gardens, on plastic mats under palm trees.

In multi-confessional and multi-ethnic Iraq, government formation has involved complex negotiations since a 2003 US-led invasion toppled Hussein.

Sadr’s bloc emerged from elections in October as the biggest parliamentary faction, but was still far short of a majority.

In June his 73 lawmakers quit in a bid to break a logjam over the establishment of a new government.

That led to a pro-Iran block becoming the largest in parliament, but still there was no agreement on naming a new prime minister, president or cabinet.

The occupation that began on Saturday was the second time in days that Sadr’s supporters had forced their way into the legislative chamber.

The protests are the latest challenge for a country trying to overcome decades of war and now facing the impact of climate change.

Despite oil wealth and elevated global crude prices, Iraq remains hobbled by corruption, unemployment and other problems, which sparked a youth-led protest movement in 2019.

[horsesoldier]

Do you go all out, arrest Tater for trial ... It would appear that's one of the conditions & I certainly don't see them backing away on this demand... could bring about armed conflict between Sadr backers & Tater & his Tots.

Events certainly have become most interesting.

 

 

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Sadr: Seize the "golden opportunity". Or "The End of Iraq"

 

Free - Washington

July 31, 2022

 

الصدر: اغتنام "الفرصة الذهبية".. أو "نهاية العراق" | الحرة (alhurra.com)

Demonstrators hold up pictures of Muqtada al-Sadr inside parliament halls

Sadrist leader Moqtada Al-Sadr described popular protests in Baghdad's Green Zone as a "spontaneous revolution," referring to what he called a "golden opportunity" to stand up to "corruption, injustice, terrorism, occupation and dependency."

Sadr said in a tweet that he hoped not to miss the opportunity to "radically change the political system, constitution and elections," calling on demonstrators to continue protesting to achieve "reform, democracy, political independence and limiting arms to a strong state capable of imposing itself by the force of law."

He wrote: "You are all responsible and you are all at stake. "Either a proud Iraq between nations or a dependent Iraq controlled by the corrupt, the dependents and those with worldly ambitions, and even moved by the hands of the outside east and west, and then there is nothing but prayer and crying over the end of Iraq, which is close."

Sadr called on tribal elders, members of the security forces and the popular mobilization to advocate for change in the country.

Ibrahim al-Jabri, director of Muqtada al-Sadr's office, said the sit-in in the Iraqi parliament was "open and continuous, and there is no withdrawal from parliament except by eliminating and excluding the corrupt."

"They represent different segments and groups of the people," he said in a special statement to Al-Hura.

He noted that the most prominent demand of the protesters is to "eliminate the corrupt and get rid of them".

On Sunday, the "open sit-in" of sadrist supporters continued inside the parliament building for the second day in a row, after demonstrators took control of the legislative headquarters.

 

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Al-Sadr's Minister publishes new instructions for the demonstrators

news source /Iraqi media news agency "conscious"

News source / Iraqi media news agency "conscious"

The Minister of Sadr publishes new instructions for the demonstrators - Iraq News (iraqakhbar-com.translate.goog)

Baghdad/Following

Saleh Muhammad al-Iraqi, nicknamed the Minister of the Sadrist Movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, published a set of instructions for the demonstrators in the Green Zone.

Al-Iraqi said in a post that I followed (the Iraqi Information News Agency /), that these are instructions to the demonstrators and protesters against corruption, quotas and dependency:

There is nothing wrong with holding Husseini rituals, but it is preferable that they be outside the parliament building and without addressing matters that some consider sectarian.

- Not creating a building at all...Moving caravans and the like can be used.

Commitment to the cleanliness of Parliament in all places.

- Not issuing individual data.

- Organizing the sit-in The principle of “shifts” continues for its permanence and continuity, and women’s sit-in is absolutely prohibited.

Forming service committees and periodical guards without using any weapon whatsoever.

It is possible that Friday prayers will be held in the celebration square, so you have to commit and reflect a beautiful image through organization and discipline.

The feelings of others who are not affiliated with the current must be taken into consideration in order for them to be of help and support for you and for the protests to be public and not private.

Full cooperation with the brothers in the security services.

Maintaining public and private property and not approaching residential homes .

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A power struggle in Iraq between Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and Iran-backed Shia rivals has escalated with his supporters breaking into parliament and beginning an open-ended sit-in protest.

The tussle over who gets to form the next government has deepened a fissure in the Shia community that has dominated Iraqi politics since the US-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003.

For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.

What is the background to the rivalry, why has it escalated, what does this mean for Iraq and what are the risks of violence?

 

Who are al-Sadr and his rivals?

MIDDLE EASTHundreds camp at Iraqi parliament for second consecutive day

Heir to a prominent clerical dynasty, al-Sadr is a populist with a fiercely loyal support base and a track record of radical action, including fighting US forces after the invasion and clashing with Iraqi authorities.

He commanded a powerful militia, the Mehdi Army, in the years after the invasion, but officially disbanded it in 2008. Its successor, the Peace Brigades, retains thousands of armed fighters.

He exercises big sway in the state, where his supporters hold many positions. He has emphasized his credentials as an Iraqi nationalist in recent years, opposing the influence of both the United States and Iran.

His Shia rivals form an alliance called the Coordination Framework, which includes Tehran-aligned politicians such as former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki and paramilitary groups armed and trained by Iran.

Many of these groups’ ties to Tehran date to the Iran-Iraq war, when Iran supported rebels against Saddam.

Each side accuses the other of corruption.

Why has the standoff escalated?

Tensions have worsened since an October election in which al- Sadr’s movement emerged as the biggest bloc with 74 of parliament's 329 seats and the Iran-backed factions’ share slumped to 17 from a previous 48.

After failing to overturn the result in the courts, the Iran-backed factions set about stymying al-Sadr’s efforts to form a government that would include his Kurdish and Sunni Arab allies but exclude groups he described as corrupt or loyal to Tehran.

Despite their diminished numbers in parliament, the Iran-aligned groups managed to frustrate Sadr by denying the two-thirds quorum needed to elect a Kurdish head of state - the first step towards forming a government.

Frustrated at the deadlock, Sadr instructed his lawmakers to quit parliament in June. The move ceded dozens of seats to the Coordination Framework, meaning it could try to form a government of its choosing, though this would risk Sadr's wrath.

Eyeing a comeback, al-Sadr rival Maliki put himself forward to be prime minister - a post that must go to a Shia in Iraq’s political system - but retreated after Sadr criticized him on Twitter.

Al-Sadr’s rivals then floated another candidate, Mohammed Shiya al-Sudani, seen by al-Sadr’s supporters as a Maliki loyalist. This step appears to have been the final straw for Sadr supporters, igniting the protests.

What does this mean for Iraq?

Iraq has now gone more than nine months without a new government - a record in the post-Saddam era.

The standoff adds to political dysfunction in a country suffering dire public services, high poverty and widespread unemployment despite huge oil wealth and no major conflict since ISIS’s defeat five years ago.

At a time when soaring crude prices have boosted Iraq’s oil revenues to record highs, the government has no budget for 2022 and spending on much-needed infrastructure projects and economic reforms has been delayed.

Ordinary Iraqis meanwhile suffer power and water cuts. The World Food Programme says 2.4 million of the population of 39 million are in acute need of food and livelihood assistance.

The paralysis is diverting attention from problems including soaring global food prices, drought and the lingering threat posed by ISIS.

Outgoing Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi continues in a caretaker role for now.

What are the chances of violence?

 

A call by the Coordination Framework for its supporters to rally on Sunday gave rise to concerns of confrontation in the streets, but it then cancelled the demonstrations.

The United Nations has called for a de-escalation, saying “voices of reason and wisdom are critical to prevent further Violence.” Many Iraqi leaders have also called for the preservation of civil peace.

Sadr has vowed peaceful political action, but is backed up by the armed Peace Brigades and many of his civilian followers keep weapons, stoking fears of armed clashes if the standoff escalates.

Conflict among Iraqi Shias would be bad news for Iran, which has carved out major influence in Iraq through its Shia allies since the United States toppled its foe Saddam.

Iran, which has yet to comment on the latest developments, has previously intervened to quell internal unrest in Iraq.

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'Minister of Sadr' instructs protesters inside the green and the House of Representatives building

2022.07.31 - 19:56

'Minister of Sadr' instructs protesters inside the green and the House of Representatives building (nasnews.com)

like 0 

 

 

  

Baghdad - Nas   

Saleh Mohammed al-Iraqi, known as "Minister of Sadr", on Sunday instructed protesters inside the Green Zone and the House of Representatives building.  

  

 

In a blog post by Nas (July 31, 2022), Al-Iraqi stated, "Instructions to demonstrators and protesters against corruption, quotas and dependency:  

1 It is okay to hold Husseini rituals, but I would like them to be outside the parliament building without addressing matters that some consider sectarian.  

2 Not to create a building at all.. Mobile caravans and the like can be used.  

3- Commitment to the cleanliness of parliament, but absolute places.  

4. No individual data.  

5 Organizing the sit-in and adopting the principle of healing for its permanence and continuity, as well as preventing the sit-in of women at all.  

6- The formation of service committees and patrol guards without the use of any weapon at all.  

7 Friday prayers are likely to be held in the celebration square.  

8 The feelings of others who do not belong to the current must be taken into account in order to be of help and support to you and for the protests to be public, not private.  

9 Full cooperation with the brothers in the security services.  

10 Preserving public and private property and not approaching residential homes.  

  

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After Muqtada al-Sadr's tweet, hundreds of other demonstrators fled to the green zone. Video: Mustafa Goran - Incident Reporter

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Demonstrators in the Iraqi parliament are chanting the slogan "Said [Sadr] will not agree with them". #المنطقة_الخضراء

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He was put to the vote in parliament; with muqtada al-Sadr becoming the ruler of all Iraq? Demonstrators vote and respond in this way video; Mustafa Goran - Rudaw

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SADR CALLS FOR ‘RADICAL CHANGE’ AMID PROTESTS IN BAGHDAD

Sadr calls for ‘radical change’ amid protests in Baghdad (nrttv.com)

 

PM:08:55:31/07/2022

60 Views

 

SULAIMANI — Prominent Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr said on Sunday (July 31) the ongoing protests this week in Baghdad are a chance to "make radical change in the constitution, elections, and politics in Iraq.”

Sadr claimed in a tweet that the current events in Baghdad’s Green Zone are a peaceful revolution in its first stage and a "golden opportunity” for all those who have made Iraqis suffer "oppression, terror, corruption, occupation and foreign interference,” to make things right and reconsider their actions.

Sadr stated he was calling for reform, democracy, stability, and for the law to be above everyone.

Thousands of protestors, mostly supporters of Sadr stormed through the barricades of the Green Zone for the second time in a week on Saturday and broke into the parliament building.

The protestors held demonstrations against the nomination of Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, the Coordination Framework’s candidate for prime minister, and the political deadlock in Baghdad.

Sudani’s nomination came after MPs from the Sadrist Movement withdrew from parliament last month. The MPs handed in their resignations after parliament’s failure to form a government following elections last year.

Sadr’s encouragement of the protests come amid calls from the international community and the Kurdistan Region to deescalate the situation and turn to negotiation.

The Coordination Framework announced on Saturday it was delaying counter-protests after initially planning to encourage its supporters to do so.

The bloc said they were very concerned over the incidents taking place in Baghdad, such as, "attacking the country’s constitutional institutions.”

(NRT Digital Media)

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See what the demonstrators in parliament call an incident reporter: We thank [The Incident] for really covering the demonstrations.

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[Hotcurl]

1 hour ago, 6ly410 said:

'Minister of Sadr' instructs protesters inside the green and the House of Representatives building

2022.07.31 - 19:56

'Minister of Sadr' instructs protesters inside the green and the House of Representatives building (nasnews.com)

like 0 

 

 

  

Baghdad - Nas   

Saleh Mohammed al-Iraqi, known as "Minister of Sadr", on Sunday instructed protesters inside the Green Zone and the House of Representatives building.  

  

 

In a blog post by Nas (July 31, 2022), Al-Iraqi stated, "Instructions to demonstrators and protesters against corruption, quotas and dependency:  

1 It is okay to hold Husseini rituals, but I would like them to be outside the parliament building without addressing matters that some consider sectarian.  

2 Not to create a building at all.. Mobile caravans and the like can be used.  

3- Commitment to the cleanliness of parliament, but absolute places.  

4. No individual data.  

5 Organizing the sit-in and adopting the principle of healing for its permanence and continuity, as well as preventing the sit-in of women at all.  

6- The formation of service committees and patrol guards without the use of any weapon at all.  

7 Friday prayers are likely to be held in the celebration square.  

8 The feelings of others who do not belong to the current must be taken into account in order to be of help and support system" rel="">support to you and for the protests to be public, not private.  

9 Full cooperation with the brothers in the security services.  

10 Preserving public and private property and not approaching residential homes.  

  

                 

                    11 Eliminate Maliki and the Iranian influence in Iraq.

 

Just sayin' ...................

 

Semper Fi

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