Iraq’s government must deliver on its human rights commitments to end systemic impunity for human rights violations, uphold women’s and girls’ rights, and guarantee fundamental freedoms, Amnesty International said today in an open letter to Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi marking three months since the adoption of a new ministerial programme.
Three months after launching the government’s 2026–2029 Ministerial Programme on 14 May 2026, little progress has been made on delivering on promises to strengthen human rights, empower women, and bolster independent civil society.
Despite commitments to address the scourge of violence against women and girls, survivors are left with little redress and protection, including from femicides, as draft domestic violence legislation – introduced more than a decade ago – remains stalled in Iraqi parliament. Further, amendments to the Personal Status Code adopted in August 2025—based on Jaafari Shia jurisprudence— continue to undermine the equality of women and girls before the law.
Independent civil society activists, journalists, and human rights defenders face intimidation, judicial harassment, and physical violence for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and of peaceful assembly. Peaceful protesters demanding basic rights, including during demonstrations in June and July 2026 against electricity cuts in the southern city of al-Kut, continue to be met with unlawful force by security forces and detentions.
This Government must chart a new course for Iraq, in particular for those whose human rights have been violated with impunity for too long: women and girls, detainees, those forcibly disappeared and their relatives, human rights defenders, activists and media workers
Razaw Salihy, Amnesty International
“This Government must chart a new course for Iraq, in particular for those whose human rights have been violated with impunity for too long: women and girls, detainees, those forcibly disappeared and the
… [more]
