Constitution Education Workshop

On the 9 th of December 2005, the Iraq Foundation held a workshop on constitution education in Baghdad . The workshop was led by participants from the colloquium on “ Making Constitutional and Democratic Rights a Reality in Iraq ” that was held in collaboration with Freedom House in Amman earlier in November 2005. The three main issues discussed in the workshop were Freedoms and Rights in the Constitution (Article two), Civil Society and Freedom of Assembly (Article 43), and Freedom of Expression and the Press (Article 36). Some 60 university professors, judges and lawyers, civil society leaders, and human rights’ activists attended the workshop.

The workshop was aimed at raising public awareness on the constitution, supporting and consolidating freedoms and rights protected in article two of the constitution, and fostering and strengthening civil society’s contribution to democracy building. The workshop brought together scholars and legal experts to discuss and point out articles of the constitution that protect democracy and freedoms, and develop alternative language to other articles that may impede the process of democratization and restrict freedoms if not tackled and amended.