Security and medical sources confirmed that the Iraqi activist, Doctor Reham Yaqoub, was killed on Wednesday with her friend, while two other activists were injured when unidentified gunmen opened fire on their car in the city of Basra in southern Iraq.
The sources said that Reham Yaqoub - an activist in the local protest movement since 2018 and who led many women's marches - was killed today by an assault rifle that was brandished by two gunmen on a motorcycle.
Iraqi media said that gunmen shot a car in which 4 women were traveling, killing two of them - one of them Doctor Reham - and wounding the other two.
Iraqi activists interacted on social media platforms after the death of Reham, and posted photos and videos of the demonstrations and women's marches that he led in Basra, expressing their grief and anger.
May God have mercy on you.
After and after they will receive the governorates, a unit of unity and an active activist. # Reham_Yacoub pic.twitter.com/NHUEftJ6GQ
- The Continental (@abseftm) August 19, 2020
You know why they target Hage heroines because it frightens them because they are educated that women in their place are the kitchen, they do not study, look and learn. And her voice echoes the text of her brothers and demands her right. They want her to be veiled and veiled, to be hit and insulted, just damn your Lord (Rahbar). Sorry for the big loss # Reham_Yacoub pic.twitter.com/iUqz4P34qg
- Omar Najim (@omaralasdee) August 19, 2020
The latest wave of violence
The latest wave of violence began when activist Tahseen Osama was assassinated last Friday, which led to the return of demonstrations to the streets for a period of 3 days, as security forces opened live bullets on protesters who threw rocks and firebombs at the governor's house and closed many main roads.
Subsequently, Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi fired the police and national security leaders in Basra on Monday and ordered an investigation into the violence, which calmed the protesters' anger.
It is noteworthy that this is the third incident of its kind in which gunmen target activists in the protests this week, after an activist was killed and 4 other activists' car was shot in a separate incident.