SULAIMANI (ESTA) — One policeman was killed and 111 people were wounded in southern Iraq, a human rights group said on Sunday, a human rights group said, as security forces fired to disperse a third consecutive day of protests in the city of Nasiriyah.
Anti-government protesters gathered in Habbubi Square on Friday, demanding the release of peers who have been arrested in recent weeks.
As protests continued on Sunday, security forces opened fire to disperse demonstrators from the square that served as an epicenter of a widespread protest movement that began in October 2019, AFP cited witnesses as saying.
Security forces repeatedly fired in the air and launched smoke grenades towards the protesters, whose movement for the first time penetrated other parts of the city.
Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights condemned on Sunday what it described as the state of insecurity in Dhi Qar governorate, warning that it could “exacerbate” clashes between protesters and the security forces.
The commission further said one policeman was killed and 111 people including protesters and members of the security forces were injured during the protests.
Iraqi Security Media Cell also confirmed the death of the policeman, saying 33 security forces were also wounded.
The Iraqi commission called on the prime minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, to take over the security situation in the province and take “urgent measures to stop the bloodshed, extend security and end insecurity there”.
Iraq’s protests fizzled out last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic and a crackdown that left nearly 600 dead and 30,000 wounded.
But kidnappings, targeted killings and arrests of protest leaders have continued.
Alongside demanding an end to political corruption, protesters want jobs and improved public services.
But the state’s ability to finance these demands is hamstrung by an economic crisis, including a yawning fiscal deficit.
