Shafaq News/ The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) announced on Tuesday that they have arrested warrants for 29 individuals accused of affiliation with and promoting the banned Baath Party.

The PMF announced in a statement that the operations were a part of “Operation Arrows of Deterrence, which aims to confront threats, maintain security and stability, and combat inflammatory and malicious activities and ideas in all Iraqi governorates, the intelligence and information cooperative carried out a series of qualitative operations that culminated in success by implementing arrest warrants and arresting 29 people accused of belonging to and promoting the banned Baath party.”

The statement further noted that these arrests were carried out under judicial orders and in compliance with Article 8 of the 2016 law prohibiting the Baath Party, Law No. 32.

In July 2016, the Iraqi parliament passed a bill banning the Baath Party, along with all dissolved and racist entities and, terrorist and takfiri parties and activities.

The Baath Party ruled for nearly four decades in Iraq, mostly under the leadership of former President Saddam Hussein, before the United States and its allies overthrew him in the Third Gulf War in 2003.

The Baath regime under Hussein committed many crimes that the Specialized Criminal Court in Iraq classified as “crimes of genocide” and sentenced the late president and officials close to him to the death penalty by hanging until death.