Note from the Author

The continued crackdown on youth and civil society in Iraq demonstrates that the state has surrendered its authority to militias and sectarian power. Years after the protests of 2019–2021, security forces and Shia-aligned militias like Saraya al-Salam continue to raid homes, abduct activists, and commit torture and extrajudicial violence — all with impunity. This is not law enforcement; it is a deliberate campaign of terror against anyone who dares speak out.

This ongoing repression shows that Iraq is a country where armed factions dominate politics, governance, and security. The government fails to hold perpetrators accountable, allowing militias to act as judge, jury, and executioner. Citizens live in fear, youth activism is silenced, and civic life is stifled — while sectarian, militia-aligned power consolidates unchecked. This is the inevitable outcome of a state captured by ideology, foreign influence, and armed factions that operate above the law.

Article:

Though the peak of the protests was in 2019–2021, the crackdown and reprisals against youth and civil society have persisted into 2025. According to a major human rights report, Iraqi authorities have failed to hold accountable security personnel and militia fighters suspected of killing, torturing, injuring and forcibly disappearing young people simply for speaking out or participating in peaceful demonstrations.

Activists interviewed by human‑rights monitors described how **security forces repeatedly raided family homes — sometimes without warrants — often bringing with them members of militias such as Saraya al‑Salam, a faction of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) traditionally linked to followers of Muqtada al‑Sadr.

Groups like Saraya al‑Salam — originally formed under the banner of protecting Shia communities and resisting the Islamic State — have been repeatedly accused by critics and human rights advocates of acting with impunity, targeting activists, and assisting security forces in suppressing dissent long after the initial protests have subsided.

Human rights organisations argue that the ongoing cycle of intimidation and violence against youth activists reinforces a climate of fear across Iraq, with much of the unrest tied back to factions with political influence and armed wings that operate outside robust state oversight.