Politics

Kirkuk man arrested for idolizing Saddam Hussein

The suspect's case has been sent to court for punishment per Law No. 32 of 2016 prohibiting the existence of the Ba'ath Party and arresting those who propagate its ideologies.

Spindar Mohammed 2023/12/22 22:18

The building of the Kirkuk Criminal Court. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)

Kurdistan Baathist regime Arabization Chauvinism Kirkuk

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – A man who praised the former Ba'athist regime and promoted the image of Saddam Hussein at a ceremony near the new Kirkuk governor's office has been arrested by the Iraqi National Security Service (NSS).

The suspect's case has been sent to court for punishment per Law No. 32 of 2016 prohibiting the existence of the Ba'ath Party and arresting those who propagate its ideologies, according to a statement released by the NSS.

In a related case, the Kirkuk Criminal Court recently sentenced 10 people to five years in prison for being members of a network linked to the dissolved Ba'ath Party.

Following the announcement of the preliminary results of the provincial council elections in Kirkuk, a large number of Arab citizens took to the streets to celebrate, with some raising the image of Saddam Hussein, seen as a slight to mock the Kurdish population in the province.

The ethnically disputed oil-rich province has been a battleground state during the ongoing provincial elections in Iraq, with Kurds, Arabs, and Turkmen all vying for control.

Editing by Dastan Muwaffaq