Baghdad has imposed a sweeping ban on protests as it prepares to host Arab League leaders for the first time in more than a decade, drawing sharp criticism over its invitation to Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara.

The ban, announced by Iraq’s Interior Ministry on Saturday night, will be enforced from May 11 to May 20. “No demonstration will be allowed, regardless of the reasons, and there will be no permits,” the ministry stated, warning that security forces would arrest anyone attempting to defy the order.

The crackdown follows weeks of nationwide protests sparked by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani’s controversial decision to invite Al Shara to the Arab Summit scheduled for Saturday. Many Iraqis object to the Syrian leader’s militant past, particularly his role as a senior Al Qaeda commander during the insurgency against U.S. and Iraqi forces following the 2003 invasion.

Demonstrations have also erupted over Al Sudani’s efforts to revive a maritime agreement with Kuwait concerning navigation rights in a disputed waterway.

Critics say the protest ban is a blatant move to silence public dissent.
“This is an unconstitutional and illegal measure,” said Baghdad-based activist Mustafa Emad, who has been actively organizing protests.
“It is a form of suppressing voices, reminiscent of the Baathist era,” he wrote on social media. “We will not allow the return of that era.”

Lawmaker Mustafa Sanad urged supporters to challenge the ban by staging a demonstration in Basra on Monday. He added that if Al Shara does not attend the summit, a larger rally planned for Baghdad could be called off.

The Arab League gathering, the first in Iraq since 2012, is seen by the Iraqi government as a chance to showcase Baghdad’s renewed diplomatic role in a region grappling with Israel’s war on Gaza and high-stakes nuclear talks between Iran and the U.S.

Yet Al Sudani’s decision to host Al Shara is under growing scrutiny. Al Shara’s militant past includes his time as a foreign fighter who entered Iraq via Syria, his arrest by U.S. troops in 2005, and his eventual leadership of the Al Qaeda-linked Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS) rebel group. Though he severed ties with Al Qaeda in 2016, many Iraqis remain deeply opposed to his inclusion at a major regional summit.