Majeed Kathem Mohammed Al Dahami
Majeed Al Dahami, also known as Amjad Al Dahamat, was an English language teacher. On the World Peace Day of 2014, he was chosen as peace ambassador by the youth of Maysan. Al Dahami was a member of many civil society organizations in Maysan, such as the Teachers Union, Musicians Union, and Maysan Human Rights Organization. He was assassinated on 6 November 2019 by an unknown group 500 meters from the Maysan Police Station, where he was attending a meeting with the Director of the Maysan Police.
Iraqi human rights defenders are subjected to assassination, abduction, arbitrary arrest and enforced disappearance. Iraq is considered an extremely dangerous country for human rights defenders, particularly with the ubiquity of armed groups who pose additional threats to obstruct their work.
Women human rights defenders have been subjected to smear campaigns on social media due to their participation in protests and have been specifically targeted for abduction and killing, particularly in the southern city of Basra.
Despite the appointment of a new government by the Iraqi Parliament in May 2020 in response to the protests, the administration has failed to protect human rights defenders. Several were assassinated in following months. Peaceful demonstrations continue, with human rights defenders putting their lives at risk to demand real change.
