Iraqi politicians continued negotiations to form a new government in Baghdad yesterday, on the impact of continuing violence in the cities of Najaf and Karbala in the south of the country, despite mediation to end the violence, while demonstrations continue in Baghdad and several southern cities against the authorities.
Protesters in Najaf, which went into a spiral of violence with the burning of the Iranian consulate, on Wednesday evening, continued their demonstrations and attempts to enter the shrine of Mohammad Baqer al-Hakim, and gunmen in civilian clothes were seen shooting at the protesters who burned part of the building, midnight yesterday.
Leading tribal figures tried several days ago to negotiate a mechanism to get out of the crisis, while Najaf called on Baghdad authorities to intervene to help them stop the violence.
In Karbala, new confrontations took place between demonstrators and police that fired bullets and tear gas to disperse them.The Office of Human Rights in the province confirmed the registration of dozens of injuries among demonstrators and security forces, calling for restraint and maintaining peace to avoid further casualties.
Demonstrations continued in Baghdad and several southern cities against the authorities, which consider Iran to have the greatest influence, especially with the presence of the Quds Force commander in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Qasem Soleimani, in Iraq now, and students organized demonstrations in several universities, including the University of Basra, in the context of anti-protests The Baghdad Operations Command announced the release of 16 protesters after obtaining judicial approval.
As political forces seek an alternative to the outgoing prime minister, Adel Abdul Mahdi, parliamentary blocs tried to examine a new electoral law that should lead to a smaller and more representative parliament, but that is not enough for demonstrators, who want to end the sectarian quota system in the distribution of positions. Political forces consulted to agree on new prime minister.
For its part, the United States described the violence in the Iraqi city of Nasiriyah in recent days, which killed at least 29 people, as a "shocking and distasteful", and called on the Iraqi government to punish those responsible for the events.
"This weekend's use of excessive force in Nasiriyah is shocking and abhorrent," US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker told reporters. "We call on the Iraqi government to respect the rights of the Iraqi people and urge the government to investigate and hold accountable those who brutally silence peaceful protesters."
Iraqi security forces opened fire on protesters who blocked a bridge and then gathered in front of a police station in the southern city of Nassiriya, killing at least 29 people. Police and medical sources said dozens of others were wounded.
Iraqi forces have killed more than 400 people, mostly unarmed young protesters, since anti-government protests erupted on October 1, and more than a dozen security forces were killed in the clashes.
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Iraq, yesterday, the cause of casualties among the demonstrators due to the lack of centralization and the lack of trained personnel, the Office said in a statement that it deployed more than 400 staff in the yards of demonstrations in Baghdad and the provinces, as part of teams to monitor violations, and met with demonstrators Detained in prisons and detention centers, and succeeded in providing legal guarantees for the accused, including visits by relatives, stressing the continuation of efforts to release those who were not involved in attacks on public and private property, and explained that it agreed with the Iraqi Bar Association to hire lawyers to defend Protesters arrested.
• Washington calls on the Iraqi government to punish those responsible for the use of excessive force.