New kidnapping case reported as female activists targeted in Iraq

Iraqi activist Mary Mohammad, one of the participants in the protests and famous for helping protesters demanding the ousting of the regime has disappeared, according to reports that are circulating on social media.

Iraqi activists who condemned the kidnapping tweeted that Mary Mohammad disappeared four days ago with no trace of her whereabouts.

Some of the protesters accused pro-Iranian militias of carrying out operations targeting activists and bloggers taking part in the protests in the provinces of central and southern Iraq.

Mohammad is the second female activist who has disappeared since the eruption of protests in early October.

On November 2, Iraqi activist and physician Siba al-Mahdawi was abducted in Baghdad by an unknown group at night when she was returning from Tahrir Square.

The Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights (IHCHR) called on the government and security forces to investigate the case.

Al-Mahdawi’s mother said she had been abducted by “armed, masked men on pick-up trucks.”

Last Friday, Amnesty International called on the Iraqi authorities to reveal the fate of al-Mahdawi, saying that her abduction was part of a campaign to silence freedom of expression in Iraq.

The fate of the 26 Iraqis who remain kidnapped since the protests began is uncertain. Three activists were killed in Basra and Baghdad, and about 400 activists, protesters, and bloggers are in detention in the south and center of the country, according to Iraqi security sources.

The protesters initially demanded better public services, job creation and anti-corruption before they raised their demands to topple the government after the army and security forces used excessive violence against them. The government has acknowledged this and promised to hold those responsible to account.