Ba'ath party supporters arrested in Baghdad

Shafaq News / The Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council revealed on Tuesday the successful arrest of a group of individuals who were found glorifying the defunct Ba'athist regime in the capital city of Baghdad.

According to a statement from the First Investigation Court in Al-Karkh, security authorities identified certain individuals plastering slogans titled "The Lion Saddam’s army" on the walls and electric poles in one of Baghdad's districts.

In response, a specialized security team was formed, operating under the supervision of the First Investigation Court in Al-Karkh, in collaboration with the Directorate of Intelligence and Counterterrorism in Baghdad's Al-Karkh area, and the Federal Police Intelligence System, to apprehend those involved in this crime.

The statement further elaborated that a group of suspects was successfully apprehended on September 14, 2023, and they have been detained in accordance with anti-terrorism laws. The investigation to locate and detain other fugitive suspects is still underway.

It's worth noting that the Iraqi Parliament passed a law in July 2016 prohibiting the Ba'ath Party, dissolved entities, as well as racist, terrorist, and extremist activities and parties. The Ba'ath Party ruled Iraq for nearly four decades under the leadership of the late President Saddam Hussein until it was toppled by the United States and its allies in the Gulf War in 2003.

During Hussein's rule, the Ba'athist regime committed numerous crimes, classified by Iraq's specialized criminal court as "crimes against humanity." The court sentenced the late president and officials closely associated with him to the death penalty by hanging.