Shafaq News – Baghdad

On Wednesday, Iraqi authorities arrested several senior Baath Party figures in southern Iraq’s Dhi Qar Province, in what officials described as the largest operation of its kind in recent years.

The National Commission for Accountability and Justice said in a statement that Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) intelligence units, in coordination with Dhi Qar police, carried out a “precise intelligence operation” in the city of al-Nasiriyah, targeting individuals accused of secretly trying to reorganize the banned Baath Party’s activities.

Iraq’s parliament outlawed the Baath Party in July 2016, passing legislation that bans its symbols, organizations, and any political or militant movements linked to its legacy.

The Baath Party ruled Iraq for nearly four decades under Saddam Hussein, whose regime was toppled by the US-led invasion in 2003. The Iraqi Special Tribunal later convicted Hussein and senior aides of crimes against humanity and genocide, sentencing them to death by hanging.

The de-Baathification file has resurfaced as a key battleground ahead of the November vote, with the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) disqualifying 335 candidates over alleged links to the Baath Party. Over 75 additionals face exclusion on similar grounds, sparking accusations that the process is being used as a political filter.

Read more: Iraq’s Elections under the Shadow of De-Baathification