ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Security forces in Iraq’s southern Dhi Qar province on Saturday arrested Ihsan Abu Kawthar, a prominent activist of the 2019 popular Tishreen protest movement, a well-informed security source told The New Region.

Abu Kawthar’s arrest was carried out in accordance with several legal articles, including Article 4 of the Iraqi Anti-Terrorism Law, according to the source. The article states that all original actors, partners, instigators, financiers, and helpers in committing a terrorist deed “shall be penalized by death.”

Under the law, “leading an armed rebellion against an existing authority established by the constitution” is defined as an act of terrorism.

Authorities had raided the activist’s house at least three times in the past but had failed to detain him. He was arrested outside of his home in the city of Nasiriyah on Saturday.

Thousands of Iraqis took to the streets in October of 2019 – later to be dubbed the Tishreen movement – against the rampant corruption that has plagued all levels of the Iraqi state, demanding radical changes to the governance system.

Iraqi authorities violently cracked down on the protests, with at least 541 protesters killed and over 20,000 others injured, according to the Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights (IHCHR). At least 27 activists were killed, 28 were targeted in attempted killings, and 75 were abducted of which dozens still remain missing.

The movement led to the resignation of then-Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, early elections in 2021, the dissolution of provincial councils, and the dissolution of the Sainte-Laguë electoral system, which the protesters claimed favored better-funded, established parties over independent candidates.

However, the 2021 elections did not bring about any major changes to the Iraqi political scene, and both the Sainte-Laguë system and provincial councils were restored in 2023.