SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi said on Saturday the security services are “serious” to find perpetrators involved in killing activists in the country.
“The security and judicial services are serious about working to reach the killers of the activists,” Kadhimi said during a visit to Dhi Qar province on Saturday morning.
More than 30 activists have died in targeted killings and dozens of others abducted, some detained briefly, since October 2019.
Kadhimi, who took office in May 2020, has pledged justice for activists killed or abused by armed groups, and has faced off against some Iran-backed parties.
But the formation of nearly 35 committees by the new government to tackle the challenges, including pursuing those responsible for protesters’ deaths, has resulted in no prosecutions so far.
Kadhimi has placed himself publicly in opposition to Iran-backed militias and parties, and recent arrest of Qasim Muslih, commander of Hashid al-Shaabi in Anbar, was a major attempt to rein in their power.
It echoed another attempt to bring Iran-backed militias under control, when in June last year Kadhimi ordered the arrest of militants alleged to have fired rockets at U.S. targets.
Authorities released Muslih on Wednesday, two weeks after he was detained over the murder of activists Ihab al-Wazni and Fahim al-Taie.
During his visit, Kadhimi said the city of Nasiriyah had suffered from “marginalization for decades” and that its people were suffering due to a lack of services and wrong policies.
Iraqis including residents of Dhi Qar province have staged protests against corruption and the lack of services including electricity and water in the past months.
Kadhimi opened a power station in Nasiriyah on Saturday morning, saying the project will initially add 500 megawatts to national power and 250 megawatts in the second phase.
Decades of sanctions and conflict have left Iraq, a major oil producer, with a power shortage. The country’s domestic production capacity is 19.5 gigawatts while its needs are 26.5 GW, according to Iraqi officials.
Iraq buys gas and electricity from Iran to supply about a third of its power sector, worn down by years of conflict and poor maintenance and unable to meet the needs of the country’s 40 million population.
Since 2018, Washington has granted waivers to Iraq, allowing it to continue importing Iranian gas and electricity. The United States gave Iraq 120 days in March to reduce its energy dependence on Iran.
The United States has insisted that oil-rich Iraq, OPEC’s second-largest producer, move towards self-sufficiency as a condition for its exemption for importing Iranian energy. Iraq relies heavily on Iranian gas to feed several power stations.
