Dozens of people gathered in Dhi Qar provincial capital Nasiriyah to demand the release of protesters who had been arrested for taking part in anti-government demonstrations on the fifth anniversary of the Tishreen (October) protests.
Dhi Qar police department said in a statement that they support the people’s constitutional right to protest, but rebuked “some rioters who attacked the force tasked with protecting the demonstration.”
The protests have been ongoing for days, demanding the release of those who were arrested and an end to police raids on demonstrators.
The 2019 Tishreen protests against poor economic conditions, unemployment, foreign interference, and overall corruption were met with brutality, including live bullets and tear gas, from Iraqi security actors. Over 500 people were killed and more than 20,000 others were wounded during the weeks of protests.
Khalid Walid, a spokesperson for the I Am Going To Take My Democratic Rights movement that has supported the Nasiriyah protests, told Rudaw on Wednesday that they were “surprised” by a new wave of arrest warrants for protesters who took part in the 2019 demonstrations.
"The continuation of this pressure will make us, as young people, return once again to Tahrir Square,” he warned, referring to Baghdad’s iconic square that was the main venue of the 2019 demonstrations.
