Security Forces Stood By as Government-Backed Gangs Beat Protesters
“All of a sudden, everyone surrounding us was carrying planks and screaming that we were Baathists and terrorists,” one demonstrator said. “They were hitting us, and I was stabbed. Three women tried to protect us, but they were cut with the knives, too. On the loudspeaker, they were saying, ‘If you don’t leave, you will be beheaded.’”
Pro-government gangs in Iraq attacked peaceful demonstrators in early June with wooden planks, knives, and iron pipes. The gangs also molested female demonstrators. The hundreds of state security personnel surrounding the protest did nothing to disarm the thugs. Human Rights Watch saw troops standing by, some laughing, as protesters were beaten.
Two Defense Ministry sources told us separately that a ministerial order authorized plainclothes police and army forces to infiltrate the protests. During the attacks, four government supporters – some carrying planks and chasing demonstrators – identified themselves to us as members of Iraqi security forces. Two others showed us concealed Interior Ministry police ID badges.
Instead of protecting peaceful demonstrators, Iraqi soldiers appear to be working hand-in-hand with the attackers. The United States and other governments claiming to support democratic reform and accountability should press the Iraqi government to stop these inexcusable assaults.
