After two bloody days in Iraq .. Nasiriyah demonstrates and the judiciary vows and Abdul Mahdi Madh resignation

Iraqi demonstrators continued their protests in Baghdad and southern areas on Saturday, considering the resignation of the prime minister's planned unconvincing, while the judiciary vowed to impose the harshest penalties on those who attacked the demonstrators.

Renewed demonstrations today in the city of Nasiriyah, which witnessed Thursday one of the bloodiest days since the outbreak of protests, where demonstrators lit tires on three bridges along the Euphrates River, while hundreds gathered in the main protest square in the city center.

The demonstrations returned today despite the bloody repression carried out by the security forces against the protesters in the city and killed more than 40 demonstrators in the last two days in the city.

Human barrier
Local sources in the southern province of Dhi Qar said residents had set up a human barrier early in the morning to prevent protesters from reaching the police headquarters of the city, which witnessed on Friday clashes between protesters and security forces resulted in deaths and injuries.

Dozens of protesters burned tires at intersections around the police headquarters in the city center.

The city of Najaf was relatively calm Saturday morning, according to Agence France-Presse, but crowds often start gathering in the evening.

And witnessed Karbala, protests, including the launch of gas bombs continued until the beginning of Saturday morning. In Diwaniya, thousands took to the streets early to demand the "overthrow of the regime."

Al-Jazeera correspondent also reported that calm hangs over Tahrir Square in the center of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, which was filled with celebrations after Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi announced his resignation to parliament.

The reporter added that the demonstrators are flocking to the scene to participate in the protests, which entered the sixth week in a row, calling for political and economic reform and the fight against corruption in the country.

The resignation of Abdul Mahdi
For his part, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said he would submit to the House of Representatives request to resign from the prime minister so that the Council to reconsider its options, and witnessed Tahrir Square in central Baghdad, celebrations after Abdul Mahdi announced his intention to resign.

The spokesman for the Prime Minister's Office for the island that Adel Abdul-Mahdi is committed to submit a letter of resignation to parliament before the next session, and he met today with members of his government, and briefed them on the subject of resignation.

In parallel, the Supreme Judicial Council in Iraq, said that those who attacked peaceful demonstrators will be punished with the most severe penalties, in accordance with the Penal Code.

In a statement, the council called on the injured and the families of the martyrs to review the investigative bodies in the provinces of Dhi Qar and Najaf, in order to record their statements on what he considered crimes committed against the demonstrators during the recent confrontations.

Prosecutions on corruption charges
On the other hand, the Office of the Iraqi Prime Minister, said that new orders have been issued against senior officials, including ministers, governors, members of the House of Representatives and members of the provincial councils, on charges related to suspicions of corruption.

Saad al-Hadithi, director of the Iraqi prime minister's office, said in a statement to the island that there is a special central court for crimes of corruption, formed in coordination between the judicial and executive authorities.

Al-Hadithi pointed out that the Special Court issued a decision to the investigative bodies of the courts of appeal in all Iraqi courts to issue arrest warrants and recruit and seize funds for all those suspected of corruption, stressing that work is continuing in this regard and that other decisions will be issued successively in the next few days.

Bloody events
The developments came after dozens of people were killed and wounded in the provinces of Dhi Qar and Najaf following bloody clashes between demonstrators and security forces that used live bullets and tear gas to disperse them.

Last Thursday witnessed the most violent clashes, which killed about 55 people and wounded hundreds, and is one of the bloodiest days since the outbreak of the protests.When more died, the death toll of the security forces in Nasiriyah, the center of Dhi Qar province to 34 people and more than 240 injured.

The number of victims of Najaf, according to medical sources, rose to 18 dead and more than 400 wounded. Meanwhile, three demonstrators were killed and more than 20 wounded in Baghdad as security forces fired live ammunition and tear gas at protesters near Jisr al-Ahrar yesterday.

The bloody events triggered widespread domestic and international reactions and demands for the resignation of the government.

Explosions in Kirkuk
In another context; wounded at least sixteen civilians in three explosive devices in the center of the city of Kirkuk, northern Iraq.

Security and medical sources in the province said that the first explosion occurred near the bridge Rashid, while the second bomb exploded in Atlas Street, while the third explosion near the square Ahmed Agha.