Former MP Adnan Al-Janabi found himself face to face with the Iraqi judiciary, following statements in which he spoke about a series of violations that affected the residents of Jurf Al-Sakhr – Al-Nasr city, which is administratively affiliated with Babil Governorate, adjacent to the capital Baghdad, and the demolition of thousands of homes of Sunni residents who are still displaced in other neighboring areas, and the looting of their property.
Al-Janabi, the sheikh of the predominantly Sunni Al-Janabi tribe, had spoken in press statements about the Jurf al-Sakhr file, indicating that he had documentation that included the demolition of about 3,000 houses, while he estimated the total number of houses completely demolished at about 7,000. He also spoke about damages to the property of the residents and their sources of livelihood, and killings and looting operations that he said affected the people of the region and their property.
Al-Janabi confirms that killings and liquidations have taken place, which he says targeted detainees from the region after their release and acquittal by the courts of Hilla, the center of Babylon Governorate, in addition to accusations of looting and robbery operations that included cars, tractors and agricultural water pumps on which the residents depend for their livelihoods.
Al-Janabi believes that the damage was not limited to homes and property, but extended to the nature of the region and its agricultural lands, which, according to him, led to damage to the livelihoods of the people.
Although the region has been one of the most security-sensitive areas for more than 10 years, its residents, displaced by the war against the “Islamic State” organization, have not been able to return to it, at a time when the factions have taken it as one of their most prominent closed strategic strongholds.
Al-Janabi’s statements did not go unnoticed, as he found himself facing lawsuits filed by the local government of Babylon and leading figures in the “Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq” movement, to which the governor himself belongs.
The Babil Provincial Council held an extraordinary session, attended by Governor Ali Turki, to discuss Al-Janabi’s statements, which he described as “sectarian.”
The head of the Babil Provincial Council, Asaad Al-Muslawi, confirmed to the government agency that “the council categorically rejects and condemns the statements made by Al-Janabi and will not allow the return of sectarian rhetoric.”
The head of the Babil Provincial Council, Asaad Al-Muslawi, confirmed to the government agency that “the council categorically rejects and condemns the statements made by the so-called (Adnan Naama Al-Janabi), and will not allow the return of sectarian rhetoric,” indicating that “the legal department has directed that lawsuits be filed against these statements.”
He explained that “Jurf al-Nasr is liberated and Babylon is stable thanks to the sacrifices of the security forces, the Popular Mobilization Forces, and the blood of the martyrs, especially those who fell victim to the terrorist crime that took place in the Musayyib district, which claimed the lives of hundreds of martyrs,” asking: “Where were these voices when foreign elements were present in the region and were described as an occupation, while our security forces were accused of sponsoring terrorism?”
He stressed that “the people of Al-Jarf and the Al-Janabi tribe are our brothers and are present in the city center and Al-Musayyib, but the current security and service conditions do not allow for their return at the present time except after allocating the necessary funds to remove mines and encroachments and prepare a suitable infrastructure.”
The Babil Provincial Council and the Governor's Office have already filed a lawsuit against Al-Janabi, based on statements he made regarding “Jurf al-Nasr,” considering them to have included insults to the council and the presentation of incorrect facts that would incite sedition and stir up public opinion.
According to a circulated document, Al-Muslawi sent a letter to the Hilla Investigation Court, demanding that legal action be taken against Al-Janabi in connection with his statements on social media.
The complaint stated that al-Janabi’s statements included describing the liberation operations as an “occupation,” and describing what the document called the “resistance” in defeating “terrorism” as “executions,” considering that these statements were “offensive to the council” and included “incorrect facts that lead to sedition and incite public opinion.”
Meanwhile, the governor of Babylon, Ali Turki, confirmed the province’s administration and council’s categorical rejection of Al-Janabi’s statements regarding the “Jurf Al-Nasr” district, describing them as “discordant voices” that seek to return the province to square one and revive sectarian strife.
During a press conference following the extraordinary session dedicated to discussing Al-Janabi’s statements, the governor praised “the council’s unified stance against attempts to downplay the work of the local government and level false accusations against the security services.”
He added, “To those who claim that Jurf al-Nasr is occupied, we say: Yes, it was indeed occupied, but by your terrorist groups of Chechen and Afghan elements.” He pointed out that “the slogans of the Triangle of Death and the terrorist groups that wreaked havoc in Babylon for three years were originally launched from in front of the homes of those figures without any condemnation or mercy from them for the martyrs.”
Turki exonerated the security forces from allegations of carrying out executions against the people of the region, explaining that “the innocent people of Jurf al-Nasr are today honored guests in the districts of Musayyib, Haswa and Iskandariya, while those who consider themselves displaced outside their areas today are the terrorist elements and criminals who fought against the security forces.”
The governor concluded his statement by urging “the members of the provincial council to continue with the legal procedures and prosecute al-Janabi,” stressing that “the sectarianism that all of Iraq has suffered from originated in the triangle of death, and these voices will not be allowed to be repeated, nor will the province be allowed to return to the square of sedition again.”
MP Raad Ishkhair Al-Zaidawi, from the “Sadiqun” parliamentary bloc, demanded that Al-Janabi reveal the evidence and official documents upon which he bases his statements regarding the alleged demolition of houses.
Likewise, MP Raad Ishkhair Al-Zaidawi, from the “Al-Sadiqun” parliamentary bloc, demanded that Al-Janabi reveal the evidence and official documents on which he bases his talk about the houses allegedly demolished in the “Jurf Al-Nasr” district, north of Babil Governorate.
He told media outlets affiliated with the “Asaab Ahl al-Haq” movement, to which he belongs, that “al-Janabi claimed to possess records containing the names and numbers of the owners of about 3,000 houses, but so far, according to what is available and officially circulated, there is no government document or report issued by an independent judicial body that can be relied upon as official proof of these claims.”
He added that “the existence of detailed lists that include the names of homeowners and their numbers requires disclosing the entity that prepared them, the source of their data, and the mechanism for documenting them,” indicating that “the original of these lists has not been published and has not been referred to the competent authorities so far.”
He pointed out that “the position is not based on a prejudgment of the accuracy of the information, but rather on the necessity of presenting the documents to a competent governmental or judicial body to scrutinize them, verify their accuracy, and ensure that their data matches official and real estate records and field facts.”
He pointed out that “no announcement has been received so far from any competent governmental or judicial body regarding the results of a clear audit of the lists that Al-Janabi is talking about.”
