Nawaf Khaled Jaiad Al Badri
Nawaf Al Badri is a human rights defender and humanitarian in Dhi Qar, who has advocated for rights, equality, and freedoms. He was one of the participants of the Tishreen protests of October 2019 in Iraq, which advocated for civil and political rights. He received direct threats from militias during his participation to the Tishrin protest, where his tent was attacked and burned.
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.
