Protesters in Iraq issued 20-demand list

Tahrir Square in Baghdad has been in the hands of activists for weeks. The square has been transformed into a self-organised area. Activists issued a declaration containing 20 demands.

Protests in Iraq have been going on for over a month.

However, since the demands of protesters were not fulfilled, the actions were reshaped in the form of civil disobedience. Protesters in Baghdad and the Shiite cities in the south are demanding the fall of the regime.

Since the beginning of the week, at least 13 people were killed and dozens were wounded when security forces opened fire in Baghdad, Karbala and Nassiria. The number of people who lost their lives since 1 October is of at least 270.

Tahrir Square in Baghdad has been in the hands of activists for weeks. The square has been transformed into a self-organised area. Activists issued a declaration containing 20 demands.

The demands in the declaration are listed as follows:

1-The government should resign and Prime Minister Adil Abdulmehdi should be tried for massacring the demonstrators.

2-Parliament should be dissolved.

3- A new constitution should be prepared for Iraq. The commission to prepare a new constitution should be composed by experts in their fields, independent persons, without links with parties. Those involved in politics since 2003 should not be included in the commission that prepares the new constitution.

4-All religious institutions should be removed from politics. 

5- Iraq's wealth resources that were taken out of Iraq by the rulers of Iraq should be brought back.

6-An independent and new Justice and Judiciary Assembly should be established. This assembly must be separated from all parties.

7-All party, faith, family, tribe and the people origin should be considered in the formation of a shared government.

8-All armed groups in Iraq should be dissolved. Their weapons must be handed over to the state.

9-An early election should be called and run under the observation of international powers. The parties that have participated in the elections so far and that take part in the country administration should not participate in the elections.

10-All those who have been proved corrupted since 2003 should be exposed and tried.

11-A new army should be established independent from parties and religious institutions. The task of this army should be clearly defined as the protection of the country.

12-All the security institutions responsible for killing civilians should be disbanded and a new security institution should be established with the aim of protecting the people, not the power and administration.

13-The Iraqi administration should switch to the Presidential system.

14-A new election law should be prepared. Those who prepare this law should be independent and experts in their fields.

15-A court should be established to try criminals who since 2013 killed people and civilians by order of the government.

16-The privileges of President, Prime Minister, President of the Assembly should be removed.

17-Privileges of President, prime minister, the president of parliament, fromed from bottom to top, as well as privileges of those who work in institutions should be removed.

18- The work of both martyrs' institutions working on behalf of those who were martyred during the Saddam period in Iraq should be stopped. Those who receive salaries on behalf of the martyrs families from this institution should be investigated. Salary is to be paid only to those proved to be martyrs' families.

19- The Clean Hands Committee established to fight corruption should be abolished. Works carried out on behalf of this commission should be investigated.

20-Officer salaries, not according to rank and authority should be determined according to the duration of service.