An anti-terrorism provision in Iraq has become the center of a crisis between Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his Sunni opponents after demonstrators in al-Anbar, Nineveh and Samarra renewed demands to annul it.

The Sunnis believe that the implementation of Article 4 of the Anti-Terrorism Law disproportionately harms them. They also see it as a government tool for legally pursuing them and Maliki’s political opponents and enemies.

The Anti-Terrorism Law includes two types of penalties. The first sentences to death "any one who committed, as a main perpetrator or a participant, a terrorist act, along with anyone who incites, plans, finances or assists terrorists to commit such a crime." The second penalty sentences to life imprisonment "any one who intentionally covers up any terrorist act or harbors a terrorist with the purpose of concealment."

For a number of years, Article 4 of the Anti-Terrorism Law has been one of the most widely used articles in the judicial system, since it was approved by the unelected Iraqi National Assembly in 2005. Opponents of this article allege that it is used to target Maliki's political opponents, and that its interpretation is subject to the interests of influential Shiite forces.