Latest news with #Raghad
Shafaq News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Iraq's State of Law Coalition opposes replacing de-Baathification body
Shafaq News — Baghdad The State of Law Coalition, led by former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, warned on Wednesday that dissolving the Accountability and Justice Commission could open the way for Saddam Hussein's daughter, Raghad, to return and run for office. Raghad has lived in Jordan under official protection since 2003, voicing criticism of Iraq's post-invasion political system and Iranian influence, and hinting at a future political role. The Baath Party she is promoting — which ruled Iraq from 1968 until it was toppled in 2003 — was banned under de-Baathification laws designed to dismantle its political and security apparatus. She has been wanted by Iraqi authorities since 2007 and was sentenced in absentia in 2024 to seven years in prison for promoting the outlawed party. Speaking to Shafaq News, Coalition member Hussein al-Maliki described the commission as a constitutional body responsible for identifying Baathists and preventing them from holding posts specified in the constitution. Abolishing it, he argued, would remove the mechanism for vetting candidates for parliament, ministries, and senior government positions. "Calls to disband the body — which has completed only 30% of its mandate — originate from Baathist circles seeking political rehabilitation," he warned. "With more than 25,000 Baathists still present in Iraq, their return to power could revive the party's bloody authoritarian path." Earlier in the day, the Islamic Dawa Party — also led by Nouri al-Maliki — reaffirmed its support for excluding Baathists from Iraq's political process. The Accountability and Justice Commission traces its origins to the US-run " De-Baathification Committee" established in 2003 and was restructured under a 2008 law. A political source told Shafaq News earlier this year that parties in the State Administration Coalition, which includes key Shiite, Sunni, and Kurdish parties and serves as the primary governing coalition in the country, had discussed replacing it with a judicial body to review candidate files.
NBC News
30-01-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
‘I want to hug my father': Daughter of Palestinian prisoner awaits father's release
21-year-old Raghad spoke to NBC News while awaiting the release of her father from an Israeli prison as part of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. She told NBC News' Daniele Hamamdjian that she looks forward to hugging her father for the first 30, 2025
