The Iraqi parliament’s Human Rights Committee has come under criticism, with activists saying some members have political or organizational ties to groups accused of abuses.
In the sixth parliamentary term (2025–2029), as in earlier sessions, the committee’s makeup reflects Iraq’s political system, shaped by party quotas, political influence, and figures surrounded by controversy.
Among the committee’s members is Muthanna al-Tamimi, former governor of Diyala and a figure associated with the Badr Organization, a group that has for years faced accusations of human rights violations, particularly during the years of sectarian conflict and the war against “ISIS.” Alongside him is Ahmed al-Moussawi, affiliated with “Asaib Ahl al-Haq,” which has long been linked to local and international reports of abuses accompanying the “liberation” of Iraqi cities between 2016 and 2017.
However, the name that sparked the most controversy was neither a field commander nor a security official, but a lawmaker known for his combative presence inside and outside parliament: Mustafa Sanad.
Sanad, who later announced his withdrawal from the Human Rights Committee, was not an ordinary parliamentary figure. He became known for his sharp rhetoric and public confrontations with activists, journalists, and human rights defenders. In recent years, his name has been linked to a number of lawsuits against activists and critics of the authorities, making him, for many, one of the parliamentary figures who contributed to narrowing the space for expression rather than defending it.
In a video, Sanad said he does not recognize parliament or its immunity, in a remark interpreted as rejecting any mechanisms that allow others to criticize or “insult” him, as he put it, on social media.
Controversy surrounding Sanad intensified when he addressed a Yazidi critic from Sinjar, saying: “You are from Sinjar; you were previously enslaved.” For many, the remark was seen as an offensive invocation of the memory of crimes committed by ISIS against Yazidis in 2014. The statement sparked outrage, particularly among Yazidi lawmakers who demanded a formal apology, which Sanad later issued under pressure.
Alhurra contacted Sanad for comment on the criticism directed at him and the committee, but he only said: “I have withdrawn.”
Yet the withdrawal of one lawmaker did not settle the controversy over the committee’s composition.
The question that remains is not about Sanad alone, but about the nature of a committee tasked with monitoring violations and defending rights while including figures politically or organizationally linked to groups that human rights organizations and activists accuse of involvement in those violations.
How can victims trust a committee whose members are seen by some as part of the problem?
These questions are not limited to individuals but relate to how state institutions have been built since 2003. Committee seats are often allocated based on political quotas and agreements rather than expertise or specialization.
Ali al-Habib, a member of the Alliance for the Defense of Freedom of Expression, described the situation as “a stark embodiment of the structural contradiction within the Iraqi state.” He told Alhurra that the presence of figures linked to armed factions within the Human Rights Committee raises serious doubts about its independence and credibility, especially given the association of some of those factions with cases involving the suppression of protests, arbitrary arrests, and killings in recent years, including the October 2019 events.
Criticism is not limited to the issue of armed factions. According to activists and human rights defenders, some committee members face accusations of using political influence or pursuing activists and journalists through the courts, making their presence on the committee a cause for suspicion among advocates of freedoms.
Ali Sahib, head of the Al-Maalouma Center in Iraq, believes the flaw begins with how committees are formed. Combining human rights and women’s issues into a single committee reflects, in his view, a secondary status for these issues, while other committees are given greater importance due to what he described as “political and material interests” associated with them.
Also on the committee is MP Wahda al-Jumaili of the Taqaddum party led by Mohammed al-Halbousi, who previously appeared in a video firing a gun into the air in the street. According to a human rights activist, al-Jumaili and her colleague Arshad al-Salihi, a Turkmen lawmaker who chaired the committee in previous terms, pushed for restrictive provisions in the law on freedom of expression and peaceful protest.
The activist, who spoke to Alhurra on condition of anonymity for fear for his life, said he had attended meetings with the Human Rights Committee in previous years where al-Jumaili and al-Salihi were present. The two lawmakers, he said, sought to include a provision requiring prior authorization for protests, while human rights advocates argue that demonstrators should only be required to notify authorities, not seek permission, citing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Iraqi constitution.
For years, human rights activists have sought to pass a law regulating the right to protest but have failed due to the insistence of political forces, especially Islamist ones, on including restrictive clauses.
MPs Wahda al-Jumaili and Arshad al-Salihi did not respond to requests for comment sent by Alhurra via WhatsApp.
For human rights activist Maytham Ahmed, what is happening within the committee represents a “dangerous precedent,” as some of its members are “known for pursuing critics and rights defenders through malicious lawsuits aimed at silencing dissenting voices.”
Ahmed added that turning the Human Rights Committee into “a venue for those who did not find a place in more influential committees” reveals the depth of the crisis within the legislative institution and reflects the absence of serious political will to prioritize freedoms.
The Human Rights Committee in Iraq’s sixth parliament appears caught between two contradictory roles: it is part of the political authority, yet is also tasked with monitoring and holding that authority accountable. Amid party influence, weapons, and political balances, the committee’s core function of overseeing human rights issues is sometimes lost in a country where cases of enforced disappearances, suppression of protests, targeting of journalists, and unlawful arrests remain prevalent.
The article is a translation of the original Arabic.
Mustafa Saadoon
Mustafa Saadoon is an Iraqi journalist who has worked for several international and Arab media organizations. He covers politics and human rights.
