Iraq’s judiciary suspends activities as al-Sadr supporters launch sit-in

Iraq’s judiciary suspended its activities on Tuesday after supporters of Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr stepped up pressure on it to dissolve parliament, as one of the worst political crises since the US-led invasion dragged on.

Al-Sadr has in recent weeks commanded thousands of followers to storm and occupy parliament, preventing the formation of a government nearly 10 months after elections.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, who cut short a trip to Egypt to deal with the crisis, has urged all sides to remain calm and renewed calls for a national dialogue.

Al-Sadr’s followers began gathering for protests outside the headquarters of the Supreme Judicial Council and Federal Supreme Court in Baghdad. The followers have sent threats by phone, the judiciary said in a statement.

“(We) will suspend court sessions as a protest against this unconstitutional behavior and will hold the government and political parties which are backing this move fully responsible for all the results,” the statement added.

Al-Sadr has called for early elections and unspecified changes to the constitution after withdrawing his lawmakers from parliament in June.

His political opponents, mostly fellow Shias backed by Iran, have refused to accede to his demands, raising fears of fresh unrest and violence in a conflict-weary Iraq.

Iraq’s 10-month standoff since the election is the longest stretch without a fully functioning government in the nearly two decades since Saddam Hussein was overthrown in a US-led in 2003.

Al-Sadr was the biggest winner of last year’s election but was unable to form a government along with Kurdish and Sunni Muslim Arab parties, excluding his Iran-backed Shia rivals.