Iraq's Hezbollah threatens to 'exterminate' Baathists

Iraq's Hezbollah Party for Islamic Renaissance has threatened a "mass extermination of Baathists," should a law deactivating the Debaathification Law be passed. They have also called for a demonstration to demand that the controversial Article 4 of the Anti-Terrorism Law is fixed and that executions are carried out. In a press conference on Tuesday, Hisham al-Batat, the secretary-general of the party, said the demands for the revocation of anti-Baath legislation amounted to "a coup against the law," and threatened that the members of the Hezbollah organisation in Iraq would "totally exterminate Baathists" should the law be revoked. Al-Batat also called on the Iraqi people to "take to the street and demand that Article 4 is fixed for the arrest and punishment of criminals and the activation of executions, especially for murderers." The leader expressed his backing for "the voices that defend the Iraqi right and dignity, if it is really violated in prisons as they have said." "It has not been proven to us since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime and up to this say that any Iraqi woman was raped in a prison," he said, adding "the detainees live a life of luxury and extravagance in prison, which opens the door to criminals to commits crimes." The Speaker of the Council of Representatives, Usama al-Nujaifi, vowed on December 31 2012 to revoke Article 4 of the Anti-Terrorism Law, which he described as "a sword poised over Iraqis' necks."  He also said laws will be established giving the Iraqi judiciary total independence while safeguarding the rights of the state and the citizen and respecting human rights. Two days later, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said the lower house of parliament was for legislation and accused some political figures and camps of "mixing up the cards" for demanding that the government revoke them. He also warned against the "politicisation of demonstrations in the service of foreign agendas and political and special-interest calculations." Hundreds took part in a demonstration on January 8 in downtown Basra organised by Islamist parties and civil organisations supported by the local government. The demonstration demanded that the Council of Representatives refrain from seeking to amend or revoke the anti-terror and Accountability and Justice laws. The provinces of Anbar, Nineveh and Saladdin have seen mass demonstrations since December 25 attended by clerics, tribal chiefs and officials including the Governor of Nineveh, Atheel al-Nujaifi and Finance Minister Raffi al-Issawi. The protests demand the release of female and political prisoners, a change in the government’s direction and the prosecution of those accused of sexually assaulting female prisoners.