Two killed as protesters scuffle with Iraqi security forces in central Baghdad

At least two people have been killed and dozens injured after clashes between Iraqi security forces and hundreds of demonstrators, who took to the streets in the capital Baghdad to demand justice for the killing of activists and journalists.

The demonstrators converged on the iconic Tahrir Square on Tuesday, carrying flags and banners bearing the faces of dozens of activists shot dead in different parts of Iraq in recent months.

They shouted slogans and accused Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi's government of failing to address the deaths of pro-democracy campaigners.

Medics and security officials said a number of protesters were injured, when police fired tear gas to disperse them. Five policemen were also hurt by projectiles thrown at them during the skirmishes.

One wounded police officer was seen being lifted into an ambulance for treatment.

Video footage shared on social media showed tear gas, live fire and chaos reminiscent of anti-government protests in October 2019, when protesters were calling for an end to corruption amid anger over chronically high unemployment and poor public services.

Then prime minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi was forced to resign in the wake of the protests which were said to have been provoked by suspicious elements backed by foreign countries.  

He was replaced by Kadhimi, who pledged to investigate the activists' deaths.   

Tuesday’s protests were sparked by the killing of civil activist Ihab al-Wazni near his home in the holy city of Karbala on May 9, a day before prominent journalist Ahmed Hassan was also shot in southern Iraq. He remains in a coma after undergoing brain surgery.

Iraqi police chief says situation in Karbala, at Iranian consulate under control

An Iraqi police chief says the security situation in Karbala is stable after riots erupted in the holy city on Sunday.

“This is a response to a call of Ihab al-Wazni’s family … and to object against a political system that is not truly democratic but pretends to be,” 27-year-old Laith Hussein of the Baghdad Student Union said.

“We want to get rid of the parties in power, [we want] real freedom, true democracy and to make radical changes to this system,” Hussein added.

Demonstrators also gathered in the southern Iraqi port town of Basra, chanting slogans and carrying large photographs of activists killed in recent months.

Elsewhere in the central city of Nasiriyah, about 360 km southeast of Baghdad, Iraqi demonstrators also demanded accountability for the recent killings.

“Only accountability will stop the pattern of deadly attacks targeting civic and political activists. While the perpetrators may think they have silenced voices, they have only amplified them. Accountability is key for Iraq’s stability. The Iraqi people have a right to know,” the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq wrote in a post published on its official Tweeter page following Tuesday’s demonstrations.

The suspicious killings have all the hallmarks of sophisticated planners trying to destabilize Iraq and implicate popular anti-terror groups which are the key hurdle to the presence of US troops in the Arab country. 

The US government is resenting calls by many Iraqis to withdraw American forces from the country under a resolution passed by Iraq's parliament early last year.   

Many observers believe the targeted killings and ensuing riots are masterminded by foreign players trying to undermine popular forces and prise Iraq away from its close friends during its heady days when Daesh terrorists overran some of the country in a lightning attack and reached Baghdad's gates before being pushed back.        

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk