ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Anti-government protests are gradually fading away in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square. The square has been a safe haven for Baghdad's discontented protesters since anti-government protests took off in October 2019. 

Protesters have been met with deadly force since their fight against corruption, high unemployment and a lack of basic government services began.  The death toll has soared over 600, and over 18,000 people have been injured since October 1, 2019 according to Amnesty International.  

Rudaw English correspondent Lawk Ghafuri visited Tahrir on Wednesday to capture the scene. Although the square is still occupied by Iraqi citizens, some sites which were once hotbeds of revolution look empty compared to last year.

One iconic site of protest is the Turkish Restaurant. It is a towering building from which protesters track security force movements across al-Jumhuriyah Bridge. The bridge spans the river Tigris, connecting Tahrir to the heavily fortified Green Zone, where government buildings and foreign embassies are located.

Following the appointment of Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi as Iraq’s new prime minister, the number of protesters in Baghdad has gradually declined, particularly after supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr withdrew from Tahrir. 

Protesters have rejected Allawi’s appointment, but Sadr and his followers have thrown their support behind the designated prime minister as he struggles to form a cabinet that will win Parliament’s approval. Protests continue with unabated fervor in the southern city of Nasiriyah, where Haboubi Square has become the center of anti-government protest activity.

Photos by Lawk Ghafuri