Hadi Mizban
The protest in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square was also directed against the country’s political leadership on Tuesday. Security forces used tear gas and demonstrators threw stones.
Participants in the protest accuse Iraq’s leadership of massive mismanagement and corruption. They demand a fundamental reform of the political system. The protest is a message to Iraq’s political elite that people can take to the streets again to enforce their demands, said one demonstrator.
The activist Ihab al-Wasni was shot dead in the city of Karbala earlier this month. He was one of the leading representatives of the Iraqi protest movement. The suspicion is directed against Shiite militias allied with Iraq. These groups are officially under the government, but lead their own lives. They also have a strong political influence.
Mass protests against the government, mismanagement and corruption began in Iraq in October 2019. Security forces repeatedly used massive violence against the demonstrations. According to the Iraqi Human Rights Commission elected by parliament, almost 600 demonstrators and activists have been killed and dozens more abducted since then. Government critics complain that those responsible will never be held accountable.