The Babylon Movement (Arabic: حركة بابليون)[citation needed] is an Chaldean Catholic political party situated in Iraq. Founded in 2014, it is the political wing of the Babylon Brigade, a nominally Christian militia that was formed as part of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces. Rayan al-Kildani, a Chaldean Catholic Assyrian with close ties to the Badr Organization,[1] heads both the party and militia. On July 18, 2019, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned Rayan based on charges of corruption and human rights abuses.[2][3][4]
The Chaldean Catholic Church issued a statement confirming that it has nothing to do with the Babylon Brigades, nor its leader, Rayan Al-Kaldani, nor does it represent them, and that its official representatives are members of the Iraqi Parliament only.[9][10] It was also denied by Christian members of the Iraqi Parliament, including Imad Youkhana and Yonadam Kanna, where the representatives stated that the Babylon Brigades and their leader do not represent Christians, and the battalions led by him represent him personally, and he is far from Christianity, completely against it, and does not represent it.[11][12][13]
Terrorist list
On 18 July 2019, the leader of the Babylon Brigades militia, Rayan Al-Kaldani, was included on the list of terrorism, and his name was included in the list of sanctions for the US Treasury and the financial assets were frozen for committing grave human rights violations.[14][15][16][17]
Iraq
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
