Share
BAGHDAD โ Security forces opened fire on hundreds of anti-government demonstrators Friday in central Baghdad, killing one protester, hours after Iraqโs top Shiite cleric warned both sides to end four days of deadly violence โbefore itโs too late.โ
In a televised address to the country early Friday, he said the protestersโ โlegitimate demandsโ had been heard and they should go home, adding that the security measures used against the demonstrations were like โbitter medicineโ that needs to be swallowed.
Security forces fired directly at people trying to reach the capitalโs central Tahrir Square, which was sealed off, hitting a protester in the head and wounding four others, according to police and hospital officials.
The protesters, many of whom had camped on the streets overnight, gathered before noon near Tahrir in defiance of Abdul-Mahdiโs call and a curfew that was announced earlier.
Since the spontaneous rallies began Tuesday, security forces have fired live rounds and tear gas every day to disperse them in multiple provinces. The mostly young demonstrators are demanding jobs, improved services like electricity and water, and an end to corruption in the oil-rich country.
Al-Sistani Singles out Leaders of Two Biggest Parliament Blocs
Authorities have also cut internet access in much of Iraq since Wednesday night, in a desperate move to curb the rallies.
Iraqโs most senior Shiite spiritual leader Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani urged both sides to end the violence, and he blamed politicians, particularly lawmakers, for failing to enact promised reforms on the economy and corruption. The comments were his first since the protests began, and many across Iraqโs predominantly Shiite south had looked to the influential cleric for guidance.
Al-Sistani singled out the leaders of the two biggest parliament blocs.
โThe government and the political sides have not fulfilled the demands of the people to fight corruption,โ al-Sistani said in his Friday sermon, delivered by his representative Ahmed al-Safi in the Shiite holy city of Karbala.
Al-Sistani urged the government to โcarry out its dutyโ to ease peopleโs suffering and reiterated his call for a committee of technocrats to make recommendations on fighting corruption as a way out of the current crisis.
It was not immediately clear whether his comments would give momentum to protesters or help resolve the situation.
Later, an influential Shiite cleric whose Sairoon political bloc came in first in last yearโs national elections said he was suspending participation in parliamentary activities until the government introduces a program that serves Iraqi aspirations.
Hospital Officials Say Deaths Occurred Thursday
Muqtada al-Sadr asked members of his coalition to boycott sessions until the government issues a program acceptable to the people. Sairoon won the largest single bloc of seats last year, with 54 of the 329-seat parliament.
Meanwhile, Iraqi hospital officials reported nine more deaths in the southern city of Nasiriyah, about 200 miles southeast of Baghdad.
In his address, Abdul-Mahdi said there was โno magic solutionโ to Iraqโs problems but pledged to work on laws granting poor families a basic income, provide alternative housing to violators and fight corruption.
โWe will not make empty promises โฆ or promise what we cannot achieve,โ said Abdul-Mahdi, a native of Nasiriyah.
โThe security measures we are taking, including temporary curfew, are difficult choices. But like bitter medicine, they are inevitable,โ he said. โWe have to return life to normal in all provinces and respect the law.โ
Mostly Leaderless Protests Concentrated in Baghdad
He also defended the security forces, saying they abide by strict rules against use of โexcessive violence.โ He blamed protesters for escalating the bloodshed.
He also said, without elaborating, that he โregrets some have successfully derailed some of the protests from their peaceful pathโ in order to โexploitโ the violence for political reasons.
Abdul-Mahdiโs government has been caught in the middle of increasing U.S.-Iran tensions in the region. Iraq is allied with both countries and hosts thousands of U.S. troops, as well as powerful paramilitary forces allied with Iran.
The mostly leaderless protests have been concentrated in Baghdad and the south, bringing out jobless youths and university graduates who are suffering under an economy reeling from graft and mismanagement.
In Nasiriyah, protester Haidar Hamid dismissed the prime ministerโs speech, saying he was looking to Shiite religious leaders for a resolution.
โIf the government is not dissolved, we will avenge our martyrs,โ said Hamid, who is 32 and unemployed.
A group that monitors internet and cybersecurity, NetBlocks, said the internet in most of Iraq was briefly restored before Abdul-Mahdiโs speech but access was shut down again by the time he was onscreen, apparently after new videos of the protests emerged. The internet in Iraqโs northern Kurdish region has not been affected.
[activecampaign form=29]
Fresno Burial Ceremony to Honor Five Abandoned Babies Set for Saturday
5 hours ago
Visalia Man Arrested for Soliciting Sex From Minor in Kingsburg
6 hours ago
Fusion Energy Race Is On. Two Local Lawmakers Want California to Lead the Way
3 hours ago
LA County Reaches $4 Billion Agreement to Settle Sexual Abuse Claims at Juvenile Facilities
4 hours ago
Fresno Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Deadly Marijuana DUI Crash
4 hours ago
Fresno Burial Ceremony to Honor Five Abandoned Babies Set for Saturday
5 hours ago
Visalia Man Arrested for Soliciting Sex From Minor in Kingsburg
6 hours ago
Fusion Energy Race Is On. Two Local Lawmakers Want California to Lead the Way
3 hours ago
LA County Reaches $4 Billion Agreement to Settle Sexual Abuse Claims at Juvenile Facilities
4 hours ago
Fresno Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Deadly Marijuana DUI Crash
4 hours ago
Fresno Burial Ceremony to Honor Five Abandoned Babies Set for Saturday
5 hours ago
Visalia Man Arrested for Soliciting Sex From Minor in Kingsburg
6 hours ago

Markets Plunge With S&P 500 Down 6% and Dow Down 2,200 After China Retaliates

Fresno Police Searching for Missing 12-Year-Old Girl

Fusion Energy Race Is On. Two Local Lawmakers Want California to Lead the Way

LA County Reaches $4 Billion Agreement to Settle Sexual Abuse Claims at Juvenile Facilities
