Iraq issues warrants against attendees of Israel normalization conference

Iraqis attend the conference of peace and reclamation organised by US think-tank Center for Peace Communications (CPC) in Arbil, the capital of northern Iraq's Kurdistan autonomous region, on September 24, 2021. (AFP)
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  • 鈥楲egal action will be taken against the rest of the participants once their full names are known鈥�

DUBAI: Iraq鈥檚 Supreme Judicial Council issued warrants on Sunday for the arrest of people who attended a conference that called for the normalization of ties with Israel in autonomous Kurdistan.

The council mentioned in a statement carried by the Iraq News Agency (INA) that the names of three individuals whom it issues arrest warrants against for calling normalizing ties with Israel. 

They are Wissam Al-Hardan, Mithal Al-Alusi, and a ministry employee Sahar Al-Taie. 

鈥淟egal action will be taken against the rest of the participants once their full names are known,鈥� the council statement added.

The conference drew a chorus of condemnation Saturday from the federal government in Baghdad who rejected the conference's call for normalisation and dismissed the gathering as an 鈥渋llegal meeting.鈥�

The conference 鈥渨as not representative of the population鈥檚 (opinion) and that of residents in Iraqi cities, in whose name these individuals purported to speak,鈥� the statement said.

The office of Iraqi President Barham Saleh, himself a Kurd, joined in the condemnation.
Powerful Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr urged the government to 鈥渁rrest all the participants,鈥� while Ahmed Assadi, an MP with the ex-paramilitary group Hashed al-Shaabi, branded them 鈥渢raitors in the eyes of the law.鈥�

The culture ministry, in a statement, said its employee, Tai, who attended the Arbil forum did not represent the ministry, but she had taken part as 鈥渁 member of a (civil society) organisation.鈥�

(with input from AFP)