Iraq Country Report 2026
By Michał Jagielski
Senior Middle East and Iran Analyst
Genocide Watch
Iraq has long been caught between its reliance on United States’ (U.S.) military and monetary support and its desire to maintain a working relationship with Iran. The already difficult-to-uphold balance was further complicated in February 2026, when the U.S. and Israel began their war on Iran.
Even before the war, Iraq had been used as a launchpad for the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), a largely Tehran-aligned group of Shia militias, and for attacks against the U.S. and Israel. Strikes on Iraqi, Syrian, and Jordanian sites became more common after October 2023 and the subsequent genocide in Gaza, including U.S. retaliatory strikes on Tehran-aligned facilities in Iraq. Since the outbreak of the war, Iraq has been targeted by both sides. Iran has mostly targeted military and energy facilities in Iraq’s Kurdistan region after Donald Trump’s calls for the Kurds to act against Tehran. The PMF attacked U.S. assets in the country, prompting Washington to bomb PMF-affiliated sites. In July 2026, the PMF attacked U.S. troops and Saudi energy facilities in Saudi Arabia, causing Riyadh to respond by bombing Iraq. Iraq has become a de facto frontline state. The country’s reliance on U.S. support has caused Donald Trump to threaten, in January 2026, to withdraw it if former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki returned to the premiership.
Following the parliamentary election, Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi outlined a plan for the state to monopolize the use of force by integrating the PMF into the army. His proposal was supported by several Shia factions but opposed by the Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah. The existence of militant groups outside of state control poses a danger to the country due to the U.S. and its allies targeting them, and their tendency to settle political disputes by force.
Women remain one of the most vulnerable groups in Iraq. In January 2025, the Iraqi Parliament legalized child marriage; children as young as 9 can now marry. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund’s (UNICEF) 2023 report, 28% of girls in Iraq married before the age of 18, a number certain to rise due to the new law. Women who speak out sometimes fall victim to violence. In April 2026, the most prominent Iraqi women activist Yanar Mohammed was assassinated in front of her home for speaking out against child marriage. Her murderers have not been prosecuted.
Similarly, LGBTQ+ people are subjected to state oppression. In April 2025, Iraq officially criminalized same-sex relationships, punishable with up to 15-year prison sentences. The bill also stipulates that transgender people will be sentenced to 3 years in prison, while people ‘promoting’ same-sex relationships can be sentenced to 7 years.
Freedom of speech has been slowly eroding in Iraq since the Parliament began working on a new draft of the Law on Cybercrimes. The law stipulates that anyone found guilty of “inflaming sectarian tensions” or “undermining the country’s independence” can be fined $38,000. Additionally, the state has been engaging in online censorship, blocking Telegram and prosecuting online creators for ‘indecency’ and ‘immorality’. Om Fahad, an Iraqi TikToker, was killed in front of her house in April 2024, a year after being sentenced to 6 months in prison for ‘undermining public morality’.
Press freedom is also on the decline as journalists face the risk of kidnapping and intimidation for unfavorable reporting on the many paramilitary groups in Iraq. PMF-associated harassment includes an attack on a reporting crew in March 2026, and the kidnapping of an American journalist, Shelly Kittleson, on March 31, 2026.
Iraq has significantly contributed to the increase in global execution numbers: Iraq, Iran, and Saudi Arabia account for 91% of the total. Executions in Iraq have quadrupled, from 16 in 2023 to at least 63 in 2024. Iraqi authorities carry out executions without informing the accused persons’ lawyers and families, and the accused are allegedly also subjected to torture while in detention.
Genocide Watch considers Iraq to be at Stage 3: Discrimination due to the legalization of child marriage and the criminalization of same-sex relationships; Stage 6: Polarization due to the suppression of dissent, combined with militias operating outside state control; and Stage 8: Persecution due to the assassinations of activists and online personalities, kidnapping of journalists, surge in executions without due process, and credible allegations of torture in detention.
Genocide Watch recommends:
The U.S., Iran, Israel, and regional actors should cease strikes on Iraqi territory in violation of Iraqi sovereignty. The international community should support Iraq’s efforts to avoid becoming a proxy battleground.
The Iraqi Parliament should repeal the January 2025 law legalizing child marriage and restore judicial oversight of marriage, divorce, and child custody.
Iraqi authorities should conduct transparent, independent investigations into the killings of Yanar Mohammed and Om Fahad, torture allegations in detention, and other attacks on activists and journalists, and hold perpetrators accountable.
Iraq should repeal the 2024 law criminalizing same-sex relationships and gender nonconformity and end state-sanctioned discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals.
