Iraq: At least 42 dead and 2,000 injured in anti-government protests
Twelve protesters died in a fire they started at a militia office in Iraq, while two others were hit by tear gas canisters.
Sunday 27 October 2019 05:19, UK
At least 42 people have died and thousands injured in violent anti-government protests in Iraq.
Twelve protesters died in a fire they started while storming the office of a powerful militia in the country's south during a rally, a senior government official said.
Two others were killed after being hit by tear gas canisters fired by security forces in the capital Baghdad, where hundreds of protesters gathered on Saturday and called Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi a "worm".
His parliament is meeting in an emergency session to discuss demonstrators' demands for improved public services.
In Baghdad's Tahrir Square, Ali Mohammed, 16, his face covered with a T-shirt to avoid inhaling tear gas, said: "All we want are four things: jobs, water, electricity, and safety. That's all we want."
The protests, Iraq's biggest security challenge since the defeat of Islamic State, began in Baghdad on 1 October.
Demonstrations calling for more jobs, better public services and an end to corruption then spread to southern cities.
A government intelligence officer and a member of the powerful Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia were reportedly killed in a clash with protesters in the southern city of Amara, police sources said.
Around 2,000 people have been injured in the protests across the country, medical sources and the Iraqi High Commission on Human Rights (IHCHR) said.
Similar protests earlier this month were brutally put down by security forces, leaving nearly 150 people dead.
Ministers have acknowledged authorities used excessive force in suppressing that unrest.