News Digest: Assassination of Female Activist Reham Yacoub in Basra Exposes Iran-backed Militias' Reign of Terror in Iraq

For this episode, we’ll be examining the recent escalation of attacks by Iran-backed militias against anti-corruption activists in Iraq following the widespread anti-government protests that rocked the country last year.

Anger and grief has resurfaced in Iraq in the past weeks, as the southern city of Basra experienced a pattern of killings of anti-corruption activists. On Aug. 20, prominent activist Reham Yacoub was gunned down inside a car by unidentified men carrying assault rifles on the back of a motorcycle. She was 29 years old. Yacoub, a doctor by profession, ran a women’s health and fitness centre in Basra. In 2018, she participated in anti-government protests, during which she led women’s marches. Yacoub has been receiving death threats since then. Reports suggest her name was on a hit list compiled by powerful Iran-affiliated militias that have led the crackdown on Iraqi civil society and political activism.

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