Sunni lawmakers boycott Iraqi parliament after killing
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 15 February 2015 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Sunni lawmakers boycott Iraqi parliament after killing, 15 February 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/550940a715.html [accessed 22 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
February 15, 2015
Iraqi Sunni lawmakers said on February 15 that they were boycotting parliament after the killing of a senior tribal leader blamed on Shi'ite militia.
Officials said Sheikh Qassem Sweidan Al-Janabi, his son, Muhammad, and six bodyguards were abducted and killed in south Baghdad late on February 13.
The slain tribal leader was a key player in efforts to combat sectarianism.
The "open-ended boycott" by Sunni lawmakers – who hold 73 mandates in the 328-seat parliament – was announced in a statement posted on the official Facebook page of Sunni parliament speaker Salim Al-Juburi.
The statement said Sunni lawmakers discussed the killings in an "extraordinary meeting" and will submit "to the government a draft resolution to ban militias and criminalize sectarianism."
Three Sunni clerics were killed by suspected Shi'ite gunmen in Basra, a majority Shi'ite southern province, last month – an event that triggered outrage in a country mired in sectarian violence.
Based on reporting by Reuters, AFP, and Al-Jazeera
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
