Iraq protests: Death toll rises amid fresh clashes

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Nine protesters were killed and 135 injured between November 16 and 20, according to figures published by Iraq’s Independent Higher Commission for Human Rights (IHCHR) on Thursday. Baghdad health officials said seven protesters were killed in the capital on Thursday alone. 

The IHCHR further highlighted rising “cases of kidnapping and assassination” of activists, protesters, journalists, and bloggers. 

“The Commission reiterates its demand that the government and specialized security agencies investigate the fate of the kidnapped, releasing them, and holding the perpetrators to account,” it said.

The most two prominent cases of kidnapping were activists Saba al-Mahdawi and Mari Mohammed. Both women have since been released.

Due to the ongoing use of “live rounds, rubber bullets, and tear gas”, nine protesters have been killed between November 16 and 20. Six were killed in Baghdad and two in Dhi Qar. One died in Basra.

“The Commission documented the injury of 135 protesters in the province of Baghdad near the Ahrar Bridge due to security forces firing tear gas and flash bangs,” the IHCHR said.

Protests have been raging across southern and central Iraq since October 1 targeting corruption, nepotism, unemployment, and the lack of basic services. 

The protests were met with deadly force, including military-grade tear gas and live rounds.

On October 8, the protests entered a short hiatus, mainly due to the Shiite religious observance of Arbaeen.

The protests resumed on October 25 – with a vengeance. Now those taking to the streets are demanding constitutional amendments, an overhaul of the election system, and a strong executive presidency to replace Iraq’s current parliamentary model. 

At least 320 protesters and members of the security forces have been killed since October 1, with around 15,000 wounded. 

Internet services and social media platforms have seen regular disruption throughout this period. On Thursday, Iraq’s Ministry of Communications announced it was lifting the social media ban completely. 

“The Ministry has obtained special official permissions to lift the blocking on social media websites fully,” the ministry said in a statement.

However, the protesters had already found was to get around the internet blackout, producing their own newspaper, ‘Tuk Tuk’.  

In the early hours of Thursday, Iraqi security again tried to remove protesters occupying the Sinak and Ahrar bridges, two of the many routes leading to the fortified Green Zone which houses the Iraqi parliament and several ministries.

“We are ready to remain here continuously for 30 days to obtain our rights. The people have had enough of this injustice. There is no work. We have nothing,” Abbas Ali, a young protester, told Rudaw.

Mustafah Hussein, another young protester, called the movement a leaderless revolution.

“No party or any side represents us. We have made an uprising as the poor. We don’t call them protests, but Iraq’s Revolution,” said Hussein.

Striking school students meanwhile have joined the protesters, cooking meals and picking up litter.