Protesters arrested in droves in Iraq’s Babil: activist

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Security forces in central Iraq’s Babil early Thursday arrested large numbers of protestors who were part of reinvigorated demonstrations in the city following the assassination of a prominent activist, a local activist confirmed to Rudaw English.

Masses of protesters, who have taken to the streets since the assassination of Karbala activist Ihab al-Wazni on Sunday calling for accountability, were arrested overnight, according to Babil activist Ammar al-Ghazali.

Videos on social media show clashes between riot police and demonstrators near al-Thawra Bridge in the center of the city. Protesters set tires on fire on the streets, while security forces fired Molotov cocktails to disperse the protesters.

"The protesters agreed to declare a truce for three days during Eid al-Fitr, after which the escalation will resume in the case Wazni’s killers are not revealed, and the arrest campaign against protesters and activists continues," Ghazali told Rudaw English.

Since the start of the protest movement in October 2019, dozens of activists have been assassinated, and some have been kidnapped and tortured. However, news of unknown gunmen assassinating Wazni in Karbala at dawn on Sunday sent shockwaves across Iraq. The killing has led to protests in several cities in the country’s center and south.

The governor of Karbala, Nassif Jassim al-Khattabi, in an interview with al-Hurra TV on Wednesday, refused to answer when questioned about why investigations into the assassination of activists in Karbala has garnered no results.

"I refuse to answer this question, I am not under investigation," said Khattabi, who was pressed on the assassination of activist Fahim al-Taie, who was killed a year ago in the same area that Wazni was killed in. Wazni was reportedly with Taie the moment he was assassinated in December of 2019.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, in a meeting with his cabinet on Sunday, said Wazni's killers are "deeply involved in crime" and will not go unpunished.

There have been 81 attempted assassinations of activists since anti-government protests began in October 2019, according to Ali al-Bayati, a member of the Iraqi High Commission of Human Rights. Thirty-four activists have been killed.

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