Demonstrations in Iraq .. One dead and dozens wounded in Baghdad and the closure of the port of Umm Qasr in Basra

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi authorities confirmed Saturday that one person was killed and dozens wounded in protests in Baghdad as demonstrators continued to gather in the capital.

As demonstrations calling for improved living conditions and fighting corruption entered its ninth day, Reuters reported, citing security and medical sources, that one person was killed and 91 wounded in the Baghdad protests as security forces used tear gas canisters against protesters to force them to retreat from Al-Senak Bridge leading to the Green Zone. Where government buildings.

Al-Jazeera correspondent said that the Tahrir and Al-Sunk squares are witnessing a crowd of tens of thousands of demonstrators who arrived in the evening, where many expressed their indignation at the lack of a tangible response from the authorities to their demands to fight corruption and achieve political and economic reform.

The Joint Operations Command in Iraq announced that the curfew would be reduced from six hours to four and will start from 2 am to 6 am.

Southern Governorates
In Basra, the port authority announced the closure of the port of Umm Qasr as a result of the continued sit-in demonstrators in front of the port gate and cut off roads, while the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Iraq, 120 wounded at the port, when security forces used tear gas canisters directly at the demonstrators, and fired live ammunition To disperse them.

In the same context, the protesters blocked roads leading to Majnoon oil field and prevented employees from access to it, but oil sources said that the operations were not affected.

Activists in the southern province of Dhi Qar said it was decided to declare civil disobedience in the province against the backdrop of the failure of the federal government and parliament to respond to the demands of the people, where thousands of the majority of tribes gathered in the square Haboubi city of Nasiriyah, the center of the province.

The organizers of the sit-in said they would start on Sunday to cut bridges and close government institutions except security and institutions associated with the health side.

No interference
On the political side, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said in a statement that "with the continued protests calling for reform, and the issuance of statements from foreign countries and international organizations, the government emphasizes respect for the will of Iraqis to claim their rights and choose their government, and their right to freedom of expression, and without prejudice to public order and morals ".

The ministry called on all foreign parties to adhere to the principle of respect for the sovereignty of Iraq and non-interference in the internal affairs of the State.

This comes a day after a statement by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticizing the Iraqi authorities, and demanded to respond to the "legitimate" demands of the people and ease the "severe" restrictions imposed recently on the freedom of the press and expression.

The Iranian leader, Ali Khamenei, described the demonstrators in Iraq and Lebanon recently as "rioters", calling at the same time calling them "careful" in these countries to "address the riots."