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319 killed in Iraq protests

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What happened: The Iraqi Human Rights Commission said yesterday that at least 319 protestors have been killed by security forces since the protests began last month.

  • The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) has proposed a roadmap to end the violence. Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the head of UNAMI, was reported in the Times to have said she was ‘receiving daily reports of killings, kidnappings, arbitrary arrests, beatings and intimidation.”
  • UNAMI set out measures to deal with the crisis, including electoral reform, security sector reform and anti-corruption measures. It called for the immediate release of all peaceful demonstrators detained since 1 October, a full investigation of cases of abduction and prosecuting and punishing those responsible for the excessive use of force.
  • According to UNAMI, six protesters or volunteers providing assistance in the Baghdad demonstrations have been abducted by unknown assailants.
  • Up to 19 people were wounded on Sunday after protestors tried to reach Baghdad’s landmark Tahrir Square. Security forces had closed roads near Khilani Square with concrete barriers to block protesters from reaching Tahrir Square, the epicentre of the protests.
  • The Washington Post reports that on Saturday five protesters were shot dead by live ammunition, while the sixth was killed by a direct hit to the head from a tear gas canister. The protesters were pushed back from the three bridges spanning the Tigris River toward the heavily fortified Green Zone, the seat of government. Protesters have tried to force their way across on an almost daily basis.
  • The White House called for “the Iraqi government to halt the violence against protesters and fulfil President (Barham) Salih’s promise to pass electoral reform and hold early elections.” It added: “Iraqis won’t stand by as the Iranian regime drains their resources and uses armed groups and political allies to stop them from peacefully expressing their views.”

Context: After protests in Baghdad and several governates in southern and central Iraq from 1 to 9 October 2019, large-scale demonstrations against state corruption, unemployment and a lack of basic services recommenced on 25 October.

  • Heba Morayef, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa director, said: “The government of Iraq has a duty to protect its people’s right to life, as well as to gather and express their views. This bloodbath must stop now, and those responsible for it must be brought to justice.”
  • Patrick Cockburn in the Independent reports that the Iranian leadership, and specifically General Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the IRGC Quds force and supremo of Iranian regional policy, is orchestrating the campaign to smash the protests with sustained use of violence.
  • Iraq’s Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi has promised that the government and judiciary will investigate the deaths of protestors, adding that all detainees who have been arrested in the past several weeks would be released soon.
  • In an attempt to pacify the protestors, Mahdi promised a number of reforms, including stipends for the poor, more job opportunities for graduates and pledges to punish a handful of corrupt officials. He agreed to step down if political leaders are able to find a successor. Mahdi came to power last year through an agreement between populist Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr and Hadi al-Amiri, a leader of the Popular Mobilisation Forces.

Looking forward: The demonstrations in Iraq will likely intensify and become more violent as long as the security forces continue to use lethal force to try and break the protests. However, whilst the Mahdi government has likely suffered irreparable damage to its credibility, it is unlikely that the protests will lead to systemic change in Iraq, given that the ruling political class is working hard to defend the system and the protests lack coherent leadership.