05/09/2026
STATEMENT
The Iraqi Democracy Observatory expresses its deep concern over the deterioration of the general situation in the country following the intrusion of an individual into the hall where the preparatory meeting for the Observatory’s Second Conference was being held on Friday evening, and the subsequent entry of security forces into the meeting premises. This constituted a blatant violation of the sanctity of a civil gathering attended by political, media, and academic figures, as well as civil and democratic institutions, in a clear attempt to impose conduct that is incompatible with the law and with the most basic principles of public life and democratic dialogue.
What occurred cannot be dismissed as an isolated individual act. Rather, it represents a serious indication of the emergence of a new phenomenon that may be described as “vocal militias”: a form of unchecked populism that uses shouting, incitement, and the mobilization of public opinion as tools of intimidation and pressure against state institutions, particularly the security forces, in an attempt to push them to act in accordance with individual agendas or the demands of pressure groups, outside legal and institutional frameworks.
The seriousness of the incident lies not only in the intrusion itself, grave as it was, but also in the attempt to establish an extremely dangerous precedent in which digital influence and the ability to create disorder become a means of mobilizing state institutions and influencing their decisions. This undermines the authority of the law, compromises the independence of the security services, and opens the door to a mob-driven logic in which those with the loudest voices are able to impose their will on the state and its institutions.
Allowing such conduct to pass without firm accountability would not merely amount to overlooking an isolated incident; it would grant such behaviour implicit legitimacy, encourage its recurrence, endanger the safety of civil and public meetings and activities, and further undermine the remaining safeguards for democratic action and the freedoms of organization and expression. Article 38 of the Iraqi Constitution guarantees freedom of assembly and peaceful demonstration. In addition, state institutions are required to safeguard freedom of assembly and the inviolability of such gatherings against intrusion without judicial authorization.
Accordingly, the Iraqi Democracy Observatory announces the suspension of the work related to its Second Conference until due recognition and redress are afforded to the broader democratic public space and to all those who participated in the meeting, and until clear and deterrent official measures are taken to prevent the recurrence of such violations, protect the sanctity of civil gatherings, and reaffirm that state institutions and security forces are subject exclusively to the rule of law and constitutional procedures, not to incitement or populist pressure.
The Observatory will also submit to the competent authorities the evidence and supporting material proving that this grave violation took place, with a view to initiating a prompt, professional, and transparent investigation into the circumstances of the intrusion, accurately determining responsibility, identifying any negligence or abuse of authority, and taking legal action against anyone found to have been involved in violating the sanctity of the meeting or attempting to use public opinion as a tool to pressure state institutions and place them at the service of personal or factional interests.
The Observatory reaffirms that it will not retreat from its role in defending the democratic process, nor will it accept the transformation of threats, shouting, and media spectacle into a parallel authority standing above the law, or into a means of coercing institutions and imposing faits accomplis.
A state driven by the loudest voice rather than by the rule of law loses its authority even if its institutions remain standing. “Vocal militias,” even when they carry no weapons, can produce the effect of weapons when they succeed in intimidating society and pushing state institutions beyond their legal and constitutional limits.
Iraqi Democracy Observatory
Baghdad, 5 September 2026
