Iraqi activist critical of Iran-aligned militias goes missing in Baghdad

Activists now fear that, after receiving repeated threats, Ali al-Mikdam may have been kidnapped by Iran-backed Iraqi militias.
Iraqi activist Ali Al-Mikdam is seen in a photo in Baghdad. He was reportedly was kidnapped on July 9, 2021. (Photo: Social Media)
Iraqi activist Ali Al-Mikdam is seen in a photo in Baghdad. He was reportedly was kidnapped on July 9, 2021. (Photo: Social Media)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi journalist and activist Ali al-Mikdam went missing in Baghdad Friday evening. A critic of Iranian-backed militias, Mikdam was among the early participants of the widespread Iraqi protests that began in October 2019.

The Iraq Civil Society Solidarity Initiative (ICSSI) said in a tweet that Mikdam had recently been threatened but did not indicate by who and demanded information on the fate of "the young human rights defender."

The group also reported that Mikdam was last seen in Baghdad's Karrada district.

Balsam Mustafa, a Teaching Fellow in the Department of Political Sciences and International Studies at the University of Birmingham, said in a social media post that Mikdam had left Iraq after receiving threats from militias but returned to Baghdad to see his family.

"Ali continued his political activism from abroad."

"Ali was last seen in the famous Ridha Alwan cafe in the bustling Karada neighborhood in Baghdad yesterday evening," Mustafa added.

"The cafe is a cultural hub often portrayed in the media as a safe haven for Iraqi writers. It may be safe for foreign reporters but not for Iraqi activists."

After his disappearance, Mikdam's Twitter account was suspended. Activists now fear he may have been kidnapped by Iran-backed Iraqi militias.

In October 2019, waves of protests engulfed Iraqi provinces, over, largely, crippling corruption in the country, which has left much of the Iraqi population impoverished.

Security forces and gunmen suspected of ties to Iran-backed Iraqi militias killed more than 550 protesters between October and December 2019 at the height of anti-government protests throughout Iraq. Thousands of other people were injured, and hundreds more were detained.

Human rights groups have also reported enforced disappearances and unlawful killings of dozens of activists, journalists, lawyers, and other civil society members since the start of the protests.


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Countless activists from Iraq’s October protests have recently sought refuge in the Kurdistan Region’s capital or abroad, fearing the threats of armed groups at home, particularly those linked to Iran.