City
Epaper

536 killed in Iraq anti-govt protests

By IANS | Updated: February 3, 2020 15:25 IST

Iraq's Independent High Commission for Human Rights (IHCHR) said on Monday that the death toll from four months of nationwide anti-government protests has reached 536, with 23,545 injured.

Open in App

A statement by the commission affiliated with the Iraqi Parliament said the death of 519 protesters and 17 security members and the injury of 20,026 protesters and 3,519 security members were registered during the period between October 1, 2019 and January 30, 2020, reports Xinhua news agency.

Ali al-Baiyati, an IHCHR member, said the number of detainees during the same period was 2,713, but only 328 of them remain in detention, according to the statement.

Mass anti-government demonstrations have been continuing in the capital Baghdad and other cities in central and southern Iraq, demanding comprehensive reform, fight against corruption, better public services and more job opportunities.

On Sunday, protesters in Baghdad's Tahrir Square rejected the appointment of Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi as the country's new Prime Minister over his links to the ruling class, Efe news reported.

Allawi, who was Minister of Communications in 2006 and 2010, is "a part of the political process that destroyed the country since 2003", when the US invaded Iraq, toppling Saddam Hussein, according to demonstrators.

They called on fellow activists in other cities to "get ready for a next peaceful escalation," of demonstrations.

On Saturday, President Barham Saleh named Allawi as the new Prime Minister two months after Adel Abdel-Mahdi resigned.

Allawi's appointment ended a two-month period in which Abdel-Mahdi was running the country on an interim basis amid increasing unrest and the escalation of tensions between the US and Iran following the January 3 killing of Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani.

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: Tawfiq AllawiIraqBaghdadusiran
Open in App

Related Stories

InternationalMajid Khademi Death: IRGC Intel Chief Killed in US-Israel Attack, Confirms Iran

InternationalVideo: Iranian Missiles Breach Israel’s Iron Dome

InternationalIran Releases List of 8 Key Gulf Bridges After US-Israel Strike Destroys Tallest Bridge in Karaj

International'Illegal Military Operations': China Accuses US and Israel of Strait of Hormuz Crisis

InternationalDonald Trump Address on Iran War: US President Says Military Objectives ‘Nearing Completion’

International Realted Stories

International"Today will be largest volume of strikes": US Secy of War Pete Hegseth warns Iran

International"No power plant, stone ages": Trump sets 8 pm tomorrow deadline for Iran

InternationalMarkets, Malls to shut by 8 pm in Pakistan as fuel crisis deepens

InternationalTrump sets deadline, warns Iran of strikes​

InternationalArtemis II mission breaks record for farthest distance travelled by humans from Earth