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Iraq
A protester salutes at the graveside of slain Iraqi activist Safaa al-Sarai in Najaf on May 14, 2021. Photo: submitted to Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Dozens of Iraqi protesters on Friday visited the Najaf grave of Safaa al-Sarai, an activist who was killed by security forces in 2019 and became a symbol of the protest movement. It is traditional to visit the graves of loved ones during the Eid al-Fitr holiday.
“Protesters gathered from different Iraqi cities, mainly Baghdad and Nasiriyah, and held a ceremony at Sarai’s grave, chanting slogans condemning the killing of activists,” protester Ali Munaf told Rudaw English.
Sarai participated in protests and published pictures and videos documenting brutal tactics used by security forces to suppress the demonstrations. On October 28, 2019, he was fatally shot in the head with a tear gas canister. He is buried in Najaf’s Wadi al-Salam cemetery.
Iraq’s security forces are accused of deliberately firing teargas canisters at the heads of protesters, making them lethal weapons.
“Security forces have fired tear gas canisters directly at protesters in Baghdad, Iraq on several occasions since the demonstrations resumed on October 25, 2019,” Human Rights Watch reported in November 2019.
After his death, Sarai became an iconic figure of the October [Tishreen] protest movement. Anti-government demonstrators across southern Iraq still carry his image during protests.
A group of activists also visited the grave of Ihab al-Wazni, who was a protest leader in Karbala and was assassinated last Sunday. Protesters lit candles near his grave and chanted slogans calling for a renewal of the protest movement and the dismissal of the government that has failed to arrest those responsible for killing dozens of activists.
“Those who killed our sons are Iranians,” people chanted at Wazni’s graveside.
Wazni’s family joined a demonstration in Karbala’s al-Ahrar square on Thursday where they made a statement calling on the government to reveal the identities of those who killed their son without delay.
Iranian-backed militias are accused of being behind a murderous campaign that has killed dozens of activists and journalists.
At least 600 people have been killed across Iraq and more than 18,000 injured since the protests began in October 2019, according to figures from Amnesty International.
“Protesters gathered from different Iraqi cities, mainly Baghdad and Nasiriyah, and held a ceremony at Sarai’s grave, chanting slogans condemning the killing of activists,” protester Ali Munaf told Rudaw English.
Sarai participated in protests and published pictures and videos documenting brutal tactics used by security forces to suppress the demonstrations. On October 28, 2019, he was fatally shot in the head with a tear gas canister. He is buried in Najaf’s Wadi al-Salam cemetery.
Iraq’s security forces are accused of deliberately firing teargas canisters at the heads of protesters, making them lethal weapons.
“Security forces have fired tear gas canisters directly at protesters in Baghdad, Iraq on several occasions since the demonstrations resumed on October 25, 2019,” Human Rights Watch reported in November 2019.
After his death, Sarai became an iconic figure of the October [Tishreen] protest movement. Anti-government demonstrators across southern Iraq still carry his image during protests.
A group of activists also visited the grave of Ihab al-Wazni, who was a protest leader in Karbala and was assassinated last Sunday. Protesters lit candles near his grave and chanted slogans calling for a renewal of the protest movement and the dismissal of the government that has failed to arrest those responsible for killing dozens of activists.
“Those who killed our sons are Iranians,” people chanted at Wazni’s graveside.
Wazni’s family joined a demonstration in Karbala’s al-Ahrar square on Thursday where they made a statement calling on the government to reveal the identities of those who killed their son without delay.
Iranian-backed militias are accused of being behind a murderous campaign that has killed dozens of activists and journalists.
At least 600 people have been killed across Iraq and more than 18,000 injured since the protests began in October 2019, according to figures from Amnesty International.
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