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Iraq protests death toll rises to 300 with nearly 15,000 injured

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Anti-government protesters set fire and close streets during ongoing protests in Baghdad, Iraq, in central Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019. Mass protests erupted in Baghdad and across southern Iraq last month, calling for the overhaul of the political system established after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
Anti-government protesters set fire and close streets during ongoing protests in Baghdad, Iraq, in central Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019. Mass protests erupted in Baghdad and across southern Iraq last month, calling for the overhaul of the political system established after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

At least 301 people have been killed and nearly 15,000 have been injured in Iraq since the start of anti-government protests in October, the Independent High Commission for Human Rights of Iraq (IHCHR) said in a statement Saturday.

The higher death toll includes two people who were killed Friday in the southern city of Basra during violent protests, the IHCR said. Basra is an oil-rich city located some 450 kilometers (280 miles) south of Iraq’s capital Baghdad.
Another 100 people were wounded in Basra as Iraqi security forces used teargas and live bullets.
Protests erupted in Baghdad and in several Shiite provinces in the south over unemployment, government corruption and the lack of basic services — such as electricity and clean water.
Many Iraqis blame the current political parties in power for their economic hardship and the scale of the protests, believed to be the biggest since the fall of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in 2003, took the government by surprise.
 Following the deadly response from Iraqi security forces, demonstrators are calling for early elections and demanding that the government step down.
Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi agreed to resign on October 31 after weeks of anti-government protests.
In a televised speech to the nation on Iraq’s Al-Iraqiya TV, President Barham Salih said Abdul Mahdi had agreed to step down on the condition that a successor is agreed to replace him.
“The Prime Minister has agreed to resign,” Salih said, adding that Abdul Mahdi had asked “political blocs to reach an acceptable alternative” in order “to prevent a vacuum.”
Officials have attempted to regain control with the use of lethal force, while also imposing curfews and internet blackouts. The government said it only shoots when attacked, but demonstrators have disputed that.
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One response to “Iraq protests death toll rises to 300 with nearly 15,000 injured”

  1. Niemals Avatar
    Niemals

    Reports: Iraqi Minister Suspected of Fraud in Sweden
    By The Associated Press

    HELSINKI — Swedish media reports say Iraq’s defense minister, who holds dual Iraqi-Swedish citizenship, is suspected of illegally receiving benefits in Sweden.

    Local media, citing a Swedish defense official, reported that Najah al-Shammari claimed child and housing support for years despite living in Baghdad. Al-Shammari and Swedish officials weren’t immediately available for comment.

    Swedish news agency TT said Friday that al-Shammari, who assumed his post in June, is registered to live in a Stockholm suburb.
    [https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2019/11/23/world/europe/ap-eu-sweden-iraqi-minister.html]

    Unbelievable, the Iraqi Defense Minister Najah al-Shammari is a Swedish citizen – and still registered in a Stockholm suburb.
    This is confirmed by the Swedish Secretary of Defense Peter Hultqvist’s press secretary.

    al-Shammari has been criticized for his role in the violent demonstrations in Iraq.

    Najah al-Shammari, 52, took over as Iraq’s defense minister in June this year.
    Already this spring, claims were circulated in Iraqi media that he was a Swedish citizen.
    Something that is denied by his party, according to The Baghdad Post.

    However, images of a Swedish passport, which should belong to the Minister of Defense, have continued to circulate in social media.
    This week, the News site today published data that indicated that Najah al-Shammari is in fact a Swedish citizen and registered in a suburb of Stockholm.
    Toni Eriksson, press secretary for Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist, confirms the information for the Swedish SVT News.
    Information that is also confirmed by several independent sources.
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/608d5b0d00387e0d08ec895ae6ec6ed06c3b10ed67ce8f79e1957d638dd6e96a.jpg
    Najah al-Shammari is suspected of serious crimes in 2016, the man was charged with several serious crimes, but the prosecution was dropped just a day before the trial was to begin. In the interrogation investigation, the man states that he is a doctoral student in political science and holds a master’s degree in military science.
    He also says that he was an officer in the Iraqi army during the 1990s.

    Since 2006, Iraqis have been allowed dual citizenship.
    But according to the Constitution, this does not apply to persons on high positions, such as the Minister of Defense.

    Hundreds of protesters have been killed in the widespread protests that have shaken Iraq lately.
    Defense Minister Najah al-Shammari has been criticized for his role in the violence.

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