Two activists killed during protests in Baghdad

Two activists were killed in clashes between demonstrators and Iraqi security forces in Tahrir Square in Baghdad.

Two activists were killed last night during protests at the Tahrir Square in Baghdad. According to information from the hospital, the demonstrators were fatally hit by gas grenades. The clashes between demonstrators and security forces in the symbolic square were the first since former head of the secret service Mustaraf al-Kasimi took office as prime minister in May.

The protest movement in Iraq has been demanding radical changes in the country's political system since October 2019. The corruption, which has swallowed up a large part of public funds for 16 years, and the division of government power based on ethnicity and denomination are wanted to be ended. With the Coronavirus pandemic, protests had largely come to a standstill.

Over 500 dead since the protests began

The Human Rights Commission elected by the Iraqi Parliament reported in February that almost 550 people have been killed in Iraq since the protests critical of the government began. According to the report, 17 security members were among the dead, while all the others were demonstrators or activists. 276 of them were killed in the capital Baghdad alone, 32 more in Najaf.

According to the Commission on Human Rights, 22 cases were murders and the demonstrators speak of more than thirty people who were the victims of targeted attacks. More than 2 700 people have been arrested, 328 of them are still in prison. In addition, at least 72 Iraqis have disappeared without trace, their fate is unknown.