Followers of Muslim Cleric Sadr Besiege Iraq’s Judiciary, Intensifying Political Crisis
Baghdad’s "Game of Thrones" has led to meetings to discuss settlement options with the populist cleric, a government source tells TML
A new stage began in Iraq’s Game of Thrones, after the movement of Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr expanded the scope of the country’s political crisis by besieging the top judicial body, the Supreme Judicial Council, in a step described by politicians and observers as “leading the country to the unknown.”
Hundreds of Sadr’s followers blocked the front of the building in Baghdad that houses the Supreme Judicial Council on Tuesday, in addition to their sit-in in front of parliament, which began on August 12. This caused the council to suspend its work, leading Sadr to call on his followers to withdraw from the front of the top judiciary body, while continuing to remain in the sit-in tents in front of the parliament building.
The Supreme Judicial Council issued a statement on Tuesday saying that Sadr’s supporters had issued threats over the phone. The statement also said that the council would suspend its activity, including trials, “in protest of this unconstitutional behavior, and we will hold the government and political parties that support this step fully responsible for all the results.”
After the sit-in was dispersed, the Judicial Council resumed its work, and issued an arrest warrant against Sabah Al-Saadi, a senior leader in Sadr’s movement, in addition to other leaders.
Since its parliamentary elections in October 2021, Iraq has experienced a stifling political crisis due to the inability to elect a new president and form a new government over differences between Shiite factions: the Sadr wing, which has rejected Iran’s influence, and the Coordination Framework, an umbrella organization which includes several Shiite parties and militias loyal to Iran, including former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
The Sadr followers’ siege on the judiciary came after he failed to persuade the Supreme Council to dissolve parliament and hold early elections. On August 10, Sadr demanded that the judiciary dissolve parliament, but the judiciary determined that it did not have this authority.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, also known as Mustafa Al-Kazemi, on Tuesday returned to Baghdad from Egypt, where Iraqi President Barham Salih attended a summit with the leaders of Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain. Salih warned of the repercussions of disrupting his country’s top judicial institution, and Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi demanded that the judiciary remain distanced from political disputes.
The US embassy in Baghdad called for all sides “to remain calm, refrain from violence and resolve any political differences in a peaceful manner based on the Iraqi constitution.”
The United Nations Mission in Iraq commented on the events in a tweet saying that “the right to peaceful protest is an essential element of democracy,” adding that “no less important is the affirmation of constitutional compliance and respect for state institutions.”
The Coordination Framework in a statement condemned the “dangerous transgression” of the judicial institution, and announced its refusal to receive any message from the Sadrist movement or any invitation for direct dialogue, except after retracting what it described as “the occupation of state institutions.”
The Iraqi judiciary is subjected to political attacks despite its lack of jurisdiction to dissolve parliament; there is a systematic campaign against the judiciary, and there are political parties accusing the judiciary and inciting the people against it
Despite accusations of politicization that the judiciary has faced for years, Sadr and his movement did not enter into a dispute with the judiciary until April, after the Federal Court issued a decision favoring the “blocking third,” the political bloc of the Shiite coordinating framework forces made up of Sadr’s opponents, which deprived Sadr of the opportunity to form a government, despite being the biggest winner in the elections with 73 parliamentary seats out of 329. A two-thirds majority of parliament is required to elect the president, who approves the government coalition.
Since that decision, the severity of the Sadrist accusations and attacks against the judiciary and its symbols have escalated. News platforms affiliated with or close to the Sadrist movement began to publicly accuse the chief justice of the Judicial Council, Faiq Zaidan, of serving Iran’s interests in Iraq.
The Secretary-General of the Islamic Resistance militia Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, Abu Ala al-Walai, in a tweet called to “kill” Kadhimi, as an accomplice with the Sadrist movement.
In his tweet, al-Walai said: “To the brothers, the leaders of the coordination framework, is there still someone among you who hopes the best from al-Kazemi, when the sponsor is complicit and weak, it is natural for the constitution to be violated and the institutions are insulted, falter the sentences before an hour comes when regret is useless.”
An informed government source in Kadhimi’s office told The Media Line: “There are unannounced meetings to discuss settlement options for the crisis, including the possibility of the Sadrist movement’s representatives withdrawing from parliament and returning their resignations, or the Federal Supreme Court dissolving parliament in response to what the leader of the movement wants.”
He added, “The government will not stand silent in the face of these abuses. Muqtada al-Sadr’s move would have entered Iraq into a dark tunnel, and the matter will not pass without accountability.”
Wathiq Al-Jabri, an Iraqi political researcher, told The Media Line: “The Iraqi judiciary is subjected to political attacks despite its lack of jurisdiction to dissolve parliament; there is a systematic campaign against the judiciary, and there are political parties accusing the judiciary and inciting the people against it.”
“Unfortunately, Muqtada al-Sadr wants to involve the judiciary in political disputes, and this is not within its competence,” he added.
Khaled Al-Aani, a professor of political science, told The Media Line: “The distance moved by the protesters from the parliament headquarters to the headquarters of the Judicial Council carried enormous political implications.”
He added: “Al-Sadr says that he can disrupt the entire state if he wants, as the government is paralyzed and parliament is broken, and now the pressure has reached the judiciary.”
“If the Muqtada al-Sadr bloc that won the elections had formed the government, we would not have reached the current situation. There was a mistake made by the Federal Supreme Court previously, which led us to the political crisis when the largest bloc that constituted the government did not explain the bloc that was formed before the elections and not the one that was formed after the elections.” Al-Aani added.
We fear that we will return to armed confrontations and Shiite sectarian strife
Haider Karar, a writer and political researcher, told The Media Line: “The Sadrist movement’s movements were unsuccessful. There is an expected decision from the judiciary (on dissolving the parliament) on August 30, but the Sadrist movement felt that the Judicial Council would not issue a decision in its interest, and would not dissolve parliament, and therefore took a step. He was proactive and moved his supporters there.”
He added, “If the crisis is not resolved within a week, there will be very big problems that Iraq is going through, and it may be due to the violence in the streets and the explosions carried out by the armed militias, to impose control over the capital and prove strength.”
“We fear that we will return to armed confrontations and Shiite sectarian strife,” Karar added.
