Badr strongman Amiri faces dissent within his group's ranks
Powerful Iraqi politician Hadi al-Amiri is up against strong opposition within his own Badr Organization, as hundreds of members accuse him of being corrupt and exploiting power.
![949617920 GettyImages-949617920.jpg](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/almpics/2019/05/GettyImages-949617920.jpg/GettyImages-949617920.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=NdnQZroQ)
Hundreds of current and former members of the Badr Organization protested April 13 in downtown Baghdad demanding long-overdue financial compensation for their combat service against Saddam Hussein, whose regime was toppled in 2003. However, security forces affiliated with the party's leader, Hadi al-Amiri, used violence to deter protesters, and a number of demonstrators were jailed for days.
The protests failed to get coverage in local Iraqi newspapers and media outlets because of Amiri's political influence, according to participants and organizers.