The head of the United Nations Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) said the death toll in the mass demonstrations in Baghdad and the central and southern provinces that began in early October reached more than 400 people, in addition to 19 thousand wounded.
At a UN Security Council session on the "situation in Iraq," Balskhart accused Iraqi authorities of using excessive force against peaceful demonstrators who had come out to demand a better life for their country.
She stressed the need for those responsible for killings and abductions against peaceful demonstrators and activists in Iraq to be held accountable, stressing that they documented a large number of these cases.
Thousands took to the streets, demanding their country's authorities to use their full potential for the benefit of all Iraqis, she said. "However, they are paying an unimaginable price to make their voices heard."
David Schenker, the US assistant secretary of state for the Middle East, condemned the use of excessive force against demonstrators in Nasiriyah (southern Iraq), describing the attacks as "a horrible and heinous act."
Schenker added - in press statements - that Washington calls on the Iraqi government to investigate and hold accountable those who are trying to "silence the voices of peaceful demonstrators brutally."