Iraq protests: Security forces kill 3 and wound 84 in Baghdad, arrest 25 in Basra
As tensions flared on Friday, local governments in the provinces of Basra, Wasit, Dhi Qar, Maysan, Diwaniyah, Babil, and Muthanna announced they would be enforcing curfews, a security source told Kurdistan 24. In a number of these provinces, demonstrators also torched government buildings and several political party offices, as also shown on social media.
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As part of apparent steps to prevent such incidents, Basra security forces arrested 25 protesters outside the governorate building, where the provincial council meets, a security source told local media outlet Shafaaq.
The Iraqi parliament also announced earlier today that it had canceled a scheduled session to vote on reform packages put forward by Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi in purported efforts to address protester demands. The parliament building is not located in the area of the Green Zone that directly faces Tahrir Square, across a bridge over the Tigris River that security forces block during demonstrations, but is roughly a ten-minute walk further down.
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The Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights – which operates under the parliament – said demonstrators were killed in clashes between civilians and security forces or guards at political offices but gave no further details.
The ongoing unrest follows several days of calm after a week-long wave of deadly protests which left at least 140 people dead and thousands more injured, according to both the human rights commission and media reports.
In the days following the first surge of protests in early October, Abdul Mahdi attempted to calm demonstrators with promises of reform and a cabinet shuffle.
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So far, such moves have failed to quell the anger of the public, which continues to call for a complete governmental overhaul amid shortages of public services, high rates of unemployment, and chronic institutional corruption.
Editing by John J. Catherine