Attack aginst the Iraqi Activist Hayder Hamzoz

By: Mustafa Saad
Translation BY :- Wameeth Al-kassab

In a repeating case of attacks on civil activists ,journalists , reporters ,and press freedom in Iraq ,another attack took place today , freedom of speech is not protected by the press freedom law that had been issued by the Iraqi journalists league that received governmental support ,they along with several organizations in Iraq including the media protection center and the center to protect press freedom and anther many press and media protecting institute all who had no effective role in protecting the free voices in Iraq against the oppressive power of violence to silence the free voices of press and media
For the 2nd time the Iraqi civil activists hayder hamzoz was attack and beaten in tahrir square on the bab alsharqy distract in Baghdad, Iraq as he was covering civilian peaceful demonstrations each Friday
For those who donot know tahrir square it is a majore sequare and park in the center of Baghdad city where for the past few months Iraqi people gather there every Friday since last February to demonstrate for their legal rights for better life and services as electricity, water and fuel ,also many prisoners and détentes families came to ask for their relatives fats and rights ,they all call for reform of the governing system and clear the government from corruption

Hayder hamzoz is one of the activists who since the start of the demonstrations work to cover and post material to cover the activities of the demonstrators and the youth of the tahrir square ,he is a leading activists in calling for reform and stop corruption and activating human rights for the Iraqi people
On the 22 of April he was first attack by group of governmental thugs, they beat him and stole his touch mobile which he used to cover the gatherings and peaceful demonstrations, this happened in front of the Iraqi forces 11 platoon which is responsible to surrounded the demonstrators every Friday and oppress them with the help of a groups of civilians who beats and attack them, the spokesman for Baghdad army command operations described the attack as a normal fight among group of young people
The 2nd attack and the most recent took place on the 22 of July 2011 ,came after many threats send to hayder to close his facebook account and stop his blogs and work
Today demonstration suffered of infiltration of many thugs and governmental against in civilian cloths ,they stopped the protesters from burning the Iranian flag and started several anti-bath calls which lead to a conflict with the demonstrators , this lead to army forces to interfere and starts to shoot live ammunition randomly on the demonstrators ,hayder cover this shooting on his camera ,as soon as the forces notice that they attack him and a group of soldiers beats him and kick him with their boots ,also they stool his mobile and his camera and they handed it to the against in civilian cloths ,

To our frind hamzoz we say that your blood and tears worth more than anything they steal ,smile our brother as night must end and chains shall be broken as long as it takes ,and those who are attach to power and chairs should remember saddam 35 yrs end ,how his power was defeated in the end and fall and lead us to such stat
Smile ,we are used to take courage from your smile ,you and all the tahrir heroes

Hayder Hamzoz, in his own words,how peaceful Iraqi bloggers and activists are easy targets for thugs and proxies of IG

Dear all

another attacked from people in civilian address and Iraqi Army on Iraqi Blogger ( Hayder Hamzoz ) in Tahrir Sq, in Baghdad - Iraq , because he record  the demonstrations and the Iraqi Army when they shot in sky in Tahrir Sq, to attacked the demonstrations , so more than 8 persons in civilian addre4ss try to attacked me and take my phone and flip camera that i record and share the information through these tools so i went to outside tahrir Sq, to Iraqi Army to protect me , the Iraqi army beaten me and said " give the Camera to this people " , he's said to me to give my camera to people in civilian address 

i went directly to some leaders in the same place , you must take these people that take the camera and my phone , they are near from here , he said " the leader of army in tahrir Sq. " go out " , and some of soldiers around him , beaten me 


the citizen journalist and freedom of speech in dangerous , i closed my facebook and twitter , because before  one week i got a threats from unknown people via E-mails and private facebook message that they know me , and they will follow me everywhere and attacked me if i participate again in demonstrations because i covered the demonstrations and protect the human right and freedom of speech

after 20 minutes when i attacked , another people in civilian address attacked some demonstrator with electricity tool and beaten them heavily , and the army see that , and did not do anything , just saw that , because these persons " in civil an address " from intelligence


my life dangerous , but we will hard to protect the freedom , and human right in Iraq



this the second time when Hamzoz attacked from intelligence from government , the first time in 22 April when they attacked him when he broadcasting the demonstrations from his phone 





Iraq: Attack against human rights defender and blogger Mr Hayder Hamzoz
Front Line expresses concern regarding the attack against Iraqi human rights defender and blogger Mr Hayder Hamzoz on 22 April as he was taking part in a regular Friday protest in Sahat Al -Tahrir, a public square in Baghdad. Hayder Hamzoz attends the protests at Al-Tahrir square every Friday and uses his mobile phone to record the events to put up on Twitter and Facebook.
Further Information
On 22 April he was approached by young men who asked him about his Qalaxy mobile phone (a type of mobile that facilitates connection to social media networks) and then took the phone away. It is reported that he managed to take back his phone, but the group was then joined by more than 9 people at which point Hayder Hamzoz ran to escape the assault. The men reportedly grabbed him and beat him up using their hands and feet, causing him to bleed and almost faint. His phone was confiscated.
The security forces who were around at the time reportedly stopped protesters and friends of Hayder Hamzoz from rendering assistance to him. The attackers then made away with the phone under the watchful eye of the security forces who did not interfere. Following the attack, Hayder Hamzoz, along with human rights defender Hanaa Adwar, went to the army officer who was in charge of the surrounding area but he refused to listen to their story. Later that night the attackers called him on another number and told him not to record or post anything anymore.
Hayder Hamzoz was the only protester to be attacked by the assailants, a matter which casts doubt as to their real motives. It is suspected that the assailants are security men in plainclothes who apparently attacked him as a reprisal against his peaceful cyberactivism.
Hayder Hamzoz, aged in his early twenties, is a prominent blogger and documentalist who runs a popular blog titled Iraqi Streets 4 Change. He also organises the coverage of peaceful Iraqi protests over the internet and has set up along with others a short messaging service which does not require subscription to the internet. Along with his colleagues, he also utilises social media networks to mobilise and document peaceful mass protests to encourage the Iraqi government to expedite democratic reforms. It is believed that the attack on Hayder Hamzoz is related to his peaceful and legitimate work as a blogger.






Hayder Hamzoz

Iraqi Blogger & Social Media Activist 

The details of April 22 attack in Tahreer Sq

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The details of April 22 attack in Tahreer Sq
It wasn’t the first of its kind there was many before in Baghdad and all over Iraq the security forces and the government wants to end the demonstrations in any way (attacking the protesters one of them)…and attacking the journalists to keep them away from saying the truth..
I was as usual posting the news from Tahreer Sq in Baghdad when some young men come to me and ask me about my phone (Galaxy Tab: its new kind of phones make it easy to connect to the social media websites) after that they toke the phone from me and hits me I struggled with them and toke back my phone..But they become more than 9 persons so I run to (Aluma) Garden trying to not making them steal my phone again…But they are many so I stay down on the ground holding my phone…So they come around me and start hit me using their hands and foots during that I start bleeding and I almost fainted and while they hitting me I saw the security forces prevented the protesters from helping me and watching the gang while they hitting me..And I couldn’t take it so they toke the phone from me …and then they run away from Tahreer Sq…We told the security forces that they stole the phone go catch them but they don’t care …they helped them to run away from Tahreer Sq and under the eyes of the commander of the security forces …and I wasn’t the only one they hit friends of mine was trying to help me …I went with the NGOs activist (Hanna Adwar) to the officer and we told them what they did(sending security forces wearing civilian clothes between the protesters ) is a very bad behavior from the government and your aim is to silence the protesters and his answer was it’s not my call .
What happened today gave me one lesson there are no such thing called (CHANGE or REFORMING THE REJEM) without sacrifices to speak the truth about what is happening in Iraq …
Is this the new democracy of the new Iraq …its democracy full of blood? …aiming to silence the youth and the press from saying the truth
what I’m saying now I have god to protect me and I will be there in Tahreer Sq next Friday posting the news ..
and to my friends who was really good friends to me thank you so much and be proud for being an Iraqi and be patient and don’t go to the ways that the bad people wants you to go to …don’t use the violence languages ….and it will be always peaceful demonstrations in Iraq
And here is a big smile from me to you
Hamzoz Iraqi blogger
Translate to English : Noof alfalahi