After two months of unrelenting protests, unrest continues across Iraq and the death toll continues to climb. So far, more than 400 people have lost their lives in the anti-government demonstrations, mostly young unarmed protesters, since they broke out on October 1 in Baghdad and predominantly Shiite southern Iraq.
The largest grassroots movement the country has seen in decades was spurred by anger towards an entrenched political elite over poor public services, lacking jobs and corruption. Now, according to relatives of those killed in the protests, Iraqi authorities have adopted a new tactic to suppress the voices of opponents. Families say the government has begun altering the cause of death reported for their loved ones, with the words "clinical death" taking the place of "killed from gunshot".