Weekly roundup: Clashes in Nasiriya lead to arrests of businessmen

20-year-old Hayder al-Zaidi was sentenced to three years in prison last week for a series of disparaging tweets (published between May 2021 and April 2022) towards the Hashd including the late deputy head Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, sparking outrage among activists over the court’s decision. The Hashd Commission had filed a lawsuit against Zaidi and the court found him guilty of insulting state institutions, based on Ba’ath era defamation laws.