Iraq: president calls for calm as judiciary suspends work

The president of Iraq called on Tuesday for calm in the country and warned of the repercussions of suspending the work of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC). Barham Salih made his comment yesterday.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Supreme Judicial Council suspended its work after hundreds of cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr’s supporters protested near its headquarters to demand that it should dissolve parliament and hold a new parliamentary election.

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“The country’s developments require everyone to remain calm and give priority to dialogue so that the country does not slip into unknown and dangerous mazes in which everyone loses,” said Salih. “Disrupting the work of the judicial institution is a serious matter that threatens the country.”

The Iraqi president noted that peaceful demonstrations and expressions of opinion are a right guaranteed under the Iraqi constitution. “However, Iraq is going through a delicate period that requires unified ranks and the maintenance of the peaceful democratic path for which our people sacrificed. This should not be neglected at any price.”

A close associate of Al-Sadr criticised the suspension of work by the SJC. He claimed that it would end a reformist revolution.

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The SJC announced that it would resume work on Wednesday after Al-Sadr called on his supporters to withdraw from outside its headquarters, reported Reuters. At the time of writing, though, no confirmation of this could be obtained