The Council of Rights and Freedoms affirms that students’ right to voice their demands through a peaceful strike is an independent right, grounded in the Iraqi Constitution and Iraq’s international obligations. No party may infringe upon it or punish those who exercise it.
First: The Legal Basis
Article 38 of the Iraqi Constitution guarantees freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and peaceful demonstration, provided they do not violate public order and morals. Article 34 guarantees the right to education and obliges the State to provide it. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966), ratified by Iraq in 1971, guarantees freedom of expression in Article 19 and the right of peaceful assembly in Article 21. The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which Iraq ratified in the same year, guarantees the right to education in Article 13. According to the interpretation of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, this includes academic freedom and the autonomy of universities.
It should be noted that the right to strike appears in Article 8 of the Economic Covenant within the rights of trade unions. The basis of students’ right is therefore their right to education, freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and this basis is no less strong.
Second: Our Position
We call on the Iraqi government to guarantee students’ exercise of their right to strike on 25 October, and to provide the necessary conditions for it, including protecting demonstrators and strikers and ensuring they are not subjected to violence or arbitrary arrest.
We call on the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and university administrations not to punish any student for participating in the strike, whether through expulsion, exclusion from exams, withholding of results, administrative warnings, or pressure on their families.
We call on the security forces to adhere to the rules governing the use of force, and to refrain from intervening in universities except in accordance with the law and with the minimum necessary measures.
We affirm that the right to strike does not mean disrupting education for those who do not take part, and we call on administrations to establish mechanisms that guarantee the right of anyone who wishes to study and sit exams to do so without pressure or threats.
We call on the relevant authorities to open serious channels of dialogue with student representatives, and to treat their demands as a public matter that deserves a public response.
Third: The Context
This strike cannot be understood in isolation from the conditions that produced it. The recent deterioration in living standards, resulting from economic policies, has worsened the situation of families and their ability to bear the cost of education. The decline in the quality of education in Iraq, together with the absence of real independence for universities and educational institutions from political and administrative pressure, has left students feeling that their voice is not heard within the very institution that is supposed to protect them. Students understand that this crisis directly affects their professional and academic future, and for this reason their action is a legitimate and responsible right.
Fourth: The Council’s Commitment
The Council of Rights and Freedoms will monitor any violation committed against students taking part in the strike or showing solidarity with it, will document what reaches it, and will demand accountability for anyone proven to be involved.
Council of Rights and Freedoms
Baghdad, October 2026
About the Council
The Council of Rights and Freedoms is a civil framework founded by the Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights. It evolved from the Freedom of Expression Defense Coalition, which the Observatory sponsored between 2024 and 2026. The Council brings together more than 100 organizations and individuals from across Iraq, and it works to defend rights and freedoms, with a particular focus on freedom of the press and freedom of expression.
