Kurdish teacher injured in anti-gov’t protests dies

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – A protester injured in anti-government protests in Koya last week died on Thursday, a local official confirmed.

Koya Police Chief Shorish Kaka told Rudaw that the protester, a teacher named Herish Omer, died at hospital on Thursday evening. He had been seriously wounded in clashes with security and riot police.

This is the third death from the protests that erupted last week. Two others were killed in Raniya, where another about 87 were injured.

Security forces were deployed to several Kurdish cities to put an end to the protests.

Thousands of people began protests on December 18, pouring into the streets in Sulaimani and Halabja provinces condemning lack of services and the continued delay of civil servants' wages from the government. Protests turned violent when demonstrators clashed with riot police and security forces.

The Kurdistan Regional Government has blamed the economic crisis on budget cuts from Baghdad and loss of oil revenues.