Protesters Demand Answers for Disappeared Individuals in Baghdad's Tahrir Square
Shafaq News/ Dozens gathered in Baghdad's Tahrir Square on Tuesday, urging the Iraqi authorities to provide information regarding individuals who have gone missing. Relatives of those who disappeared during liberation operations and the October demonstrations convened to demand clarity about the fate of their loved ones, according to Shafaq News agency correspondent.
The gathering comes after a United Nations report on April 5, 2023, highlighting the urgent need to address the persistent "waves of disappearance" affecting approximately a million Iraqis over the past five decades. The report characterized these incidents as "heinous crimes" and emphasized the importance of enacting legislation to combat them.
The UN report delved into the various phases of disappearance incidents, underscoring how the rise of ISIS and its establishment of a "caliphate" in parts of Iraq triggered a new wave of kidnappings and mass killings of Iraqi soldiers and security personnel between 2014 and 2017.
The situation further deteriorated during the efforts by the Popular Mobilization Forces to reclaim major cities from terrorist control. The report detailed the disappearance of thousands of Sunni Arabs, predominantly men and boys.
Additionally, the report highlighted a subsequent wave of enforced disappearances that transpired during the series of demonstrations in Iraq from 2018 to 2020. During this period, many Iraqis took to the streets to protest against corruption and other pressing issues.
