More protesters die in Iraq as government tries to reopen port
There have been large demonstrations in Baghdad and across the mostly Shiite south.
At least three anti-government protesters have been killed in clashes with security forces in southern Iraq, officials said, as authorities tried to reopen the country’s main port, which had been blocked by demonstrators for three days.
Security and medical officials said a protester was killed and eight more were wounded in Umm Qasr, a key oil terminal on the Persian Gulf.
The Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights, a semi-official agency, said two people were killed and 23 wounded in clashes in the southern city of Nasiriyah.
The officials said security forces in Umm Qasr were firing live ammunition and tear gas, and that protesters have seized an armoured vehicle.
The protests are calling for an overhaul of the political system established after the 2003 US-led invasion, accusing the government and major political parties of corruption and incompetence.
Security forces have killed at least 267 protesters since early October during two major waves of protests.
In southern Iraq, protesters have ransacked and torched the offices of political parties linked to Iran, and on Sunday night they attacked the Iranian Consulate in the Shiite holy city of Karbala.
In Baghdad, protesters crossed a bridge over the Tigris River on Monday and clashed with security forces near the headquarters of state-run TV and the prime minister’s office.
The protesters set tyres and bins ablaze within 500 yards of the prime minister’s office, sending huge clouds of black smoke into the sky.
Netblocks, a group that monitors worldwide internet access, reported a major shutdown by Iraqi authorities overnight, with usage in Baghdad and southern Iraq dropping to 19% of normal levels.
It said the internet was partially restored early on Tuesday, but that “some networks are still offline and social media and messaging apps remain blocked or degraded”.
Authorities shut down internet access and blocked social media sites on a number of occasions during an earlier wave of protests in October, but Netblocks said the latest shutdown was the most severe yet.
Iraq’s prime minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi has expressed support for the protesters’ demands and condemned violence on all sides while resisting calls to step down.
He has called on the protesters to reopen roads so that life can return to normal, saying the disruptions caused by the protests are costing the country billions of dollars.
The British Embassy meanwhile called on Iraq’s government to ensure security forces “protect protesters and act appropriately”.
It said on its Facebook page: “Peaceful protest is the right of the Iraqi people. Violence against them is unacceptable.”
Last week, US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said Iraq’s government should listen to the protesters’ “legitimate demands”.
Iraq holds regular elections, but its politics are dominated by Shiite Islamist parties, many with close ties to Iran.
The protesters, who mainly come from the Shiite majority, say their leaders have enriched themselves while letting the economy and infrastructure crumble.
They complain of high unemployment and poor public services.
Despite Iraq having the world’s fourth largest proven oil reserves, Baghdad and other cities still suffer frequent power cuts and the tap water in many areas is undrinkable.
