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Babylon Movement ܙܘܥܐ ܕܒܒܠ حركة بابليون بزووتنەوەی بابل | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Rayan al-Kildani |
| Founded | 2014; 11 years ago (2014) |
| Headquarters | Baghdad,Iraq |
| Military wing | Babylon Brigade |
| Religion | Syriac Christianity (official) |
| Parliament | 4 / 329 (1%) |
| Babylon Brigade | |
|---|---|
| كتائب بابليون | |
| Leaders | Rayan al-Kildani |
| Allegiance |  Iraq |
| Group |
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| Size | 1,000+[2] |
| Part of |  Popular Mobilization Forces |
| Allies | |
| Opponents |  Islamic State Nineveh Plain Protection Units |
| Battles and wars | |
TheBabylon Movement (Arabic:حركة بابليون,Syriac:ܙܘܥܐ ܕܒܒܠ) is a political party situated inIraq. Founded in 2014, it is the political wing of the Babylon Brigades, a militia that was formed as part of Iraq'sPopular Mobilization Forces.Rayan al-Kildani currently leads the party since founding it in 2014.[5][6][7]
The party, through its incorporation into the Popular Mobilization Forces, has close ties to theBadr Organization andIRGC.[8] Since the defeat of ISIS, the Babylon Movement has been accused a multitude of human rights abuses, including illegal land seizures in theNineveh Governorate and election corruption.[9][10] While the party claims to represent the interests ofIraqi Christians, primarily theAssyrian people, a majority of the party's voters and members are Shia Muslim, since a ruling in 2009 designated that any Iraqi could vote for designated minority seats.[citation needed]
The Babylon Movement was founded in 2014, initially as a militia group in order to defend the Nineveh Plains from the onset of ISIS. The movement had been the only Christian component of the Popular Mobilization Forces, and had about 1000 fighters.[11][12] The brigade had taken part in the large scale defense of theNineveh governorate with theBattle of Mosul, and helped to liberate the city from ISIS.
The Babylon Movement entered theIraqi parliamentary elections in2014 and2018, however they weren't able to attain any results until2021. Allegations have been leveled towards al-Kildani regarding vote corruption in the attainment of these seats in the election.[13] He obtained similar results in the2023 Iraqi governorate elections.[14]
On July 18, 2019, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned al-Kildani for alleged human rights violations, including harassment and blackmailing of women and illegal land seizures.[15]
TheChaldean Catholic Church issued a statement confirming that it has nothing to do with the Babylon Brigades, nor Rayan as its leader or its members in theIraqi parliament, and that it doesn't represent them.[16][17] The Babylon Movement has previously engaged in public spouts withCardinal Sako of the church, with both sides accusing each other of stealing properties for the benefit of themselves and/or their respective organization.[18] The church has since distanced itself from the Babylon Movement and Rayan.
However, ArchbishopBashar Warda, a prominent leader within theChaldean Catholic Church, continues to express unwavering support for the Babylon Movement, despite the well-documented record of severe human rights abuses by the group. This alliance has drawn sharp criticism, particularly from CardinalLouis Sako, who accuses Warda of acting as the Godfather of the Babylon Movement and prioritizing benefits fromRayan al-Kildani over the protection of church interests.[19][20]
It was also denied by Assyrian Christian MPs such as Imad Youkhana andYonadam Kanna, where the representatives stated that the Babylon Brigades and their leader do not represent Christians, that Rayan himself is far from Christianity and the battalions led by him represent him personally.[6][7][5] The movement has been implicated in several instances of prior human rights violations against Assyrians, including looting of villages, kidnapping of members of theNineveh Plain Protection Units, and theBakhdida wedding fire.[21][22]
The Babylon Movement has also been noted for its hijacking of Assyrian political representation in Iraq. In 2024, al-Kildani instituted a mass change of political leadership in the Nineveh Plains with Babylon Movement proxies, replacing 15 leaders appointed by the Kurdish-backed Nineveh Provincial Council.[23] Previous elections in 2021[24] and the takeover of NPU in 2023[25] have been condemned and criticized, and the Babylon Movement as well as Rayan and his affiliated remain deeply unpopular amongAssyrians in Iraq.[26]
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| Reserved Christian seats (5) |
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| Unrepresented in parliament | |
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