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As Iraqis protest targeted killings, one dead

as Iraqis protest

Protesters clashed with law enforcement in Baghdad on Tuesday as activists complained that the government wasn’t taking action to stop the murder of journalists and activists. Security forces shot a protester who later died. The Associated Press has the story:

Protesters in Iraq clash with law enforcement over murders of journalists and activists

BAGHDAD (AP) — Clashes between security forces and protesters left one person dead and over a dozen injured Tuesday after hundreds of Iraqis took to the streets in Baghdad to protest a rise in targeted killings of prominent activists and journalists.

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Violence erupted near Tahrir Square in the early evening following a largely peaceful demonstration. Iraqi security forces fired tear gas and live rounds to disperse the crowds and demonstrators hurled stones at riot police, witnesses and Iraqi security officials said.

Smoke rises during clashes between security forces and anti-government protesters in Tahrir Square in Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, May 25, 2021. Hundreds of Iraqis took to the streets in Baghdad on Tuesday to protest what they say is impunity by those behind a rising number of targeted killings of prominent activists and journalists. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

One protester was shot and died in a hospital and over a dozen were injured, a security official and the semi-official High Commission for Human Rights said.

The security officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

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The shooting began after security forces first used tear gas to disperse the crowds. The demonstrators responded by throwing stones, and on some occasions bricks at police, according to an Associated Press videographer on the scene.

Security forces and anti-government protesters clash at Tahrir Square in Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, May 25, 2021. Hundreds of Iraqis took to the streets in Baghdad on Tuesday to protest what they say is impunity by those behind a rising number of targeted killings of prominent activists and journalists. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

Earlier, demonstrators gathered in the square amid heavy security, among them protesters from southern provinces including Dhi Qar and Karbala. Tensions there have mounted in recent weeks over the increasingly frequent targeted killings.

“Today’s protests took place because the weak government did not keep its promises to bring the murderers to justice,” said activist Kamal Jaban at Tahrir Square.

Many waved Iraqi flags and raised portraits of Ehab Wazni, a prominent activist assassinated in Karbala, among three targeted killings this month alone. Protesters had given the government two weeks to hold his killers responsible.

A woman chants slogans while security forces try to disperse the anti-government protesters, in Tahrir Square, Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, May 25, 2021. Hundreds of Iraqis took to the streets in Baghdad on Tuesday to protest what they say is impunity by those behind a rising number of targeted killings of prominent activists and journalists. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

“The government did not deliver, we had to march,” said Jaban.

Nearly 25 activists killed since 2019

The High Commission for Human Rights reported nearly 35 activists have been killed in Iraq since an anti-government protest movement swept Iraq in October 2019. There have been nearly 82 attempted killings since them.

In the last year alone, 15 Iraqis were killed and there were 30 attempted killings recorded by the commission, said spokesman Ali al-Bayati.

Protesters expressed outrage that despite launching several investigations into the killings, Iraqi authorities have not named any perpetrators. They widely believe the killers to be linked to Iran-backed militia groups and that the government is powerless and unwilling to identify them.

A policeman is carried to be treated for his injury during clashes between security forces and anti-government protesters, in Tahrir Square, Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, May 25, 2021. Hundreds of Iraqis took to the streets in Baghdad on Tuesday to protest what they say is impunity by those behind a rising number of targeted killings of prominent activists and journalists. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

“Impunity comes from the failure of state institutions to bring the perpetrators to account,” said al-Bayati. “This gives them the green light to continue.”

Many expect the killings to continue as Iraq plans to hold early elections in October, which had been a key demand of anti-government protesters.

Now, some of those same protesters are calling for the elections to be canceled as the death toll from targeted killings rises, saying they have no faith in the current system.

“We will not delay the elections if we get fair and safe chances to participate in them,” said Jaban. “We will boycott the elections unless there are positive changes.”

A recent Human Rights Watch report raised concerns that without justice the killings could prevent Iraqis from participating in the election.

“If the authorities are not able to take urgent steps to stop these extrajudicial killings the palpable climate of fear they have created will severely limit the ability of Iraqis who have been calling for change to participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections,” wrote senior researcher Belkis Wille.

Anti-government protesters chant slogans as they hold posters of slain activists outside the Green Zone area which houses the seat of the country’s government and foreign embassies, in Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, May 25, 2021. Hundreds of Iraqi protesters have taken to the streets of Baghdad to decry a recent spike in assassinations targeting outspoken activists and journalists. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

Heavy security deployments were seen in central Baghdad ahead of the Tuesday protest.

Iraqi security forces arrested four “infiltrators” near Tahrir Square in the morning, according to an Iraqi military statement. The individuals were reportedly carrying weapons and sought to incite violence.

Tens of thousands of protesters, most of them Iraqi youth, took to the streets in October 2019 to decry corruption, poor services and unemployment. Demonstrators camped out in Tahrir Square for months.

But the movement petered out by February last year owing to the government’s heavy handed response and the coronavirus pandemic. Over 500 people died because security forces used live ammunition and tear canisters to disperse crowds.

Though protests have waned, targeted assassinations against civil society groups and outspoken activists continue to create a climate of fear. Many activists have left Baghdad to seek refuge in the Kurdish-controlled northern region, or sought asylum in Turkey.

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By SAMYA KULLAB

Associated Press writer Murtada Faraj in Baghdad contributed.

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