(3 Sep 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Baghdad, Iraq – 8 August 2024
1. Various of protesters carrying placards and posters, chanting “No, no to amendments”.
2. Protester holding sign reading (Arabic): ”No to the oppressive law.”
3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Heba Al-Dabouni, activist:
"We are a group of civil society organizations; we strongly reject the amendment of Article 157. The function of the Iraqi parliament is to legislate laws that educate society and elevate the country’s status, not to legislate a law that takes us back 1,500 years This is a shameful act that we do not accept. We will reject it and continue to demonstrate."
4. Protesters carrying banners against the proposed amendment
5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Suhayluh Alaeusam, activist:
"We do not need to amend the (current) law. We need to legislate laws that serve women, society, children, and Iraqi families. The anti-violence law, children’s rights law, human rights law, and anti-drug law. We need such laws. Why does the (Parliament) want to amend the current law that has achieved stability in the country for more than 60 years?"
6. Logo of the media office of the Iraqi parliament
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Baghdad, Iraq – 2 September 2024
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mahna Khlil, lawmaker, Kurdistan Democratic Bloc:
"The Personal Status Amendment Law is a controversial law. It contradicts the country’s civil status. There are points of disagreement, many representatives of the political blocs tried to reduce these disagreements by requesting to raise the age of marriage to 15 years and to specify the authority responsible for issuing the marriage certificate. These two points are still a matter of disagreement in the (new) law. We support the civil laws that were adopted on the basis of the Iraqi constitution and do not overlap with it."
8. Establishing shot of lawmaker Faleh al-Khzali
9. Close of Iraqi parliament pin on lapel
10. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Faleh al-Khzali, lawmaker, Coordination Framework:
"We condemn the statement made by the American ambassador. And if they are worried about what is happening in Iraq or about this law, we say we will increase your concern and legislate the law because this is the desire of the Iraqi people. And if you are serious about defending human rights, why do you not talk about the tragedies and massacres taking place in Gaza. 150,000 martyrs and wounded, many of them are women and children."
11. Various of street scenes
STORYLINE:
Iraq’s parliament is considering controversial legal changes that would let religious authorities adjudicate in matters of family law, a move that could allow the marriage of girls as young as nine years old.
The proposal comes as powerful Shia Muslim factions in Iraq backed by the clergy have pushed back against what they describe as the West imposing its cultural norms on the Muslim-majority country.
Months ago, the parliament passed a harsh anti-LGBTQ+ law.
Amending the law is backed by most Shia Muslim legislators in a bloc called the Coordination Framework that make up a majority in parliament.
Iraq’s personal status law, passed in 1959, is broadly perceived as a strong foundation that largely protected women and children’s rights that could use improvements.
The law, drafted by legal experts and revised by religious officials, set the legal marriage age to 18 but allows girls as young as 15 to marry with parental consent and medical proof that the girl has reached puberty and is menstruating.
Marriages outside the state court system were forbidden.
AP video by Ali Jabar
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