PM Abadi launches inquiry into Saturday’s violent protests as rockets land in Green Zone
By [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] [ltr]4 hours ago [/ltr][You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Iraqi supporters of the Sadrist movement hold national flags during a demonstration in Baghdad's Tahrir Square. Photo:AFP / Sabah Arar
BAGHDAD, Iraq — A number of Katyusha rockets have landed in and around the heavily-fortified Green Zone in Baghdad, where vital state institutions are located, Iraq’s Joint Command stated, while the Prime Minister Haider al-Aabdi has ordered launching an investigation into Saturday’s casualties incurred by angry protesters trying to storm the Green Zone calling for an overhaul of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) which the protesters claim is partisan.
Iraq’s President Fouad Masum quickly announced on Saturday that the completion of a draft regarding the election law, a key demand of the protesters, in consultations with various parliamentary factions, and hoped that the MPs would pass it soon.
Public demonstrations in the Iraqi capital turned violent earlier on Saturday after police opened fire on them trying to break into the Green Zone.
Baghdad’s Governor Ali al-Tamimi, who is from the Sadr Faction, announced five people were killed and more than 300 injured , 7 of whom by by gunfire.
Supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr marched on the streets of Baghdad and towards the government compound against corruption and demanding a change to Iraq’s election law.
Iraqi Joint Command said that a member of the security forces was killed, and seven others injured claiming that they seized light weapons and knives that had been held by the protesters.
The Joint Command said the rockets fired from the Baladiyiat and Falasteen areas landed in and around the Green Zone, without giving more details.
The office of the prime minister, Iraqi parliament, the IHEC, and the embassy of the United States, among others, are all located in Green Zone.
PM Abadi, who issued two statements today in relation to the chaotic scenes in Tahrir Square where the protests began, reaffirmed the right of the people for “peaceful demonstration.”
A statement from his office said that Abadi, as both the PM and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, issued an order to open “a full investigation into the casualties that occurred among the security units and the demonstrators from today’s demonstration in Tahrir Square, and to prosecute those responsible for it.”
“These protestors are calling for the high electoral commission to be changed, which we believe is controlled by the ruling parties,” Sadr’s political spokesman Jawad al-Jiburi told Rudaw.
Ayad Shamari from Sadr’s faction in parliament told Rudaw that “The commission has lost the trust of people.”
“The Sadr Movement previously demanded that the election commission be changed as we believe the change is in the interests of the Iraqi people. This commission should be free from political interference. The protesters are demanding that the election commission, the election law, and the commission’s members be changed,” he added.
Sarbast Mustafa Rashid, the IHEC’s head, told Rudaw that he would defend the constitution that he represents, noting that he will not accept the accusations from the protesters that he is involved in any sort of corruption.
Rashid said in a statement on Wednesday that there are “legal procedures” to make changes both to the election law, and a change to the members of the commission, which could be done through the Iraqi parliament.
He expressed his surprise that the protesters are calling for such changes while the current term for the commission members expires in seven months.
The next provincial elections are due in September.
Today at 10:05 am by wciappetta
» utube MM&C 5/11/24 Iraqi Dinar - IQD Update - International - IraqTiming - 2024 Budget Schedule - Sp
Today at 7:05 am by Rocky
» The reality of the American presence... Objections are rising and the Sudanese are silent
Today at 7:00 am by Rocky
» The work is discussing with the World Bank a project related to social protection beneficiaries
Today at 6:58 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Finance: The government intends to send the budget schedules this week
Today at 6:57 am by Rocky
» The Emirates tops and Iraq does not exist...the list of the richest people in the Middle East and No
Today at 6:54 am by Rocky
» A government plan to combat poverty and include 400,000 families with health insurance
Today at 6:53 am by Rocky
» Iraq signs a memorandum of understanding with an American company to support the energy sector
Today at 6:52 am by Rocky
» A deficit exceeding 75 trillion, and this is the date of its arrival.. Parliament’s finances talk ab
Today at 6:51 am by Rocky
» Kirkuk.. A bank was caught receiving remittances for ISIS from a neighboring country
Today at 6:48 am by Rocky
» The Minister of Commerce discusses with his Lebanese counterpart procedures for accelerating the con
Today at 6:45 am by Rocky
» To find out who is negligent or not... The Basra Council forms a committee to follow up on the heads
Today at 6:43 am by Rocky
» Iraq signs a memorandum of understanding with “Honeywell” to support the energy sector
Today at 6:41 am by Rocky
» The judiciary reaches the final stage in the theft of the century file
Today at 6:39 am by Rocky
» An economic expert proposes a solution to end the Jordan National Bank's "takeover" of the currency
Today at 6:36 am by Rocky
» utube 5/12/24 Iraqi Dinar | Citi Bank Announced New Rate Of The Iraqi Dinar | Dinar News Today 202
Today at 5:21 am by Rocky
» Reassurance to employees: “Salaries are not affected by delays in budget schedules.”
Today at 5:18 am by Rocky
» Al-Anbeki: The framework is determined to proceed with the election of the Speaker of Parliament
Today at 5:14 am by Rocky
» Al-Karaawi calls for revealing the truth about the presence of American forces
Today at 5:13 am by Rocky
» Political conflict and corruption in Anbar oust two officials
Today at 5:12 am by Rocky
» After joining Al-Halbousi, an agreement was reached to nominate Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani for the presid
Today at 5:10 am by Rocky
» Within a month, the Central Bank of Iraq’s sales exceeded $4 billion
Today at 5:09 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi Parliament decides to elect its new president next Saturday
Today at 5:08 am by Rocky
» The Interior Ministry activates mobile stations to issue the unified card for communities abroad
Today at 5:05 am by Rocky
» Jordan stops importing oil from Iraq
Today at 5:05 am by Rocky
» The Association of Private Banks praises the Iraqi Central Bank’s approach to establishing digital b
Today at 5:03 am by Rocky
» Iraqi fields cling to the foreign and kick the local... 3 reasons that embarrass private companies i
Today at 5:02 am by Rocky
» The Minister of Commerce stresses the importance of creating a state of balance in the economy and e
Today at 5:01 am by Rocky
» Among them is weak demand for gas...an economic diagnosis of the “most important” observations on th
Today at 5:00 am by Rocky
» Proposing a parliamentary plan to get rid of job stagnation in state departments
Today at 5:00 am by Rocky
» Involving and integrating the private sector into the investment map for sustainable development
Today at 4:59 am by Rocky
» Population claims in the Maysan Marshes: Our water share is not distributed fairly
Today at 4:58 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi Parliament reveals the latest developments in the “theft of the century”
Today at 4:57 am by Rocky
» Jordanian industry exports to Iraq record an increase in 2024
Today at 4:56 am by Rocky
» Implementation of 85% of the southern green belt in Karbala
Today at 4:54 am by Rocky
» The Interior Ministry completes cleansing the areas of organized crime gangs
Today at 4:53 am by Rocky
» Immigration: The displacement file will be closed next July 30
Today at 4:52 am by Rocky
» Transport sets a date to close the file of development road route conflicts
Today at 4:51 am by Rocky
» Service projects are launching non-stop
Today at 4:49 am by Rocky
» Launching the Development Investors Map 2030
Today at 4:48 am by Rocky
» Minister of Health to the Family Physicians Association: The year 2024 is the year of primary health
Today at 4:45 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi Car Company wins the investment in the Al-Khulaysia area on the Iraqi-Syrian border
Today at 4:44 am by Rocky
» Oil: No company has come forward to develop the Shihabi area within the provinces of Maysan and Wasi
Today at 4:43 am by Rocky
» The House of Representatives sets next Saturday as the date for holding a session to elect its speak
Today at 4:42 am by Rocky
» The Kurds refuse to share security positions in Diyala, “and there is nothing wrong with partnership
Today at 4:40 am by Rocky
» Kurdistan is a repellent environment for young people... migration is still taking place and victims
Today at 4:39 am by Rocky
» A Kurdish-Arab conflict prevents the harvest in Kirkuk and a call for the Sudanese to intervene
Today at 4:38 am by Rocky
» An Iranian newspaper accuses Iraq of participating in a "water plot" against Tehran
Today at 4:37 am by Rocky
» The Minister of Immigration directs all the ministry’s departments and branches to simplify procedur
Today at 4:33 am by Rocky
» Al-Mandalawi: Parliament attaches utmost importance to human rights laws
Today at 4:32 am by Rocky
» Al-Sadara was surprised and announced its joining Al-Halbousi
Today at 4:31 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Oil: Licensing rounds will pave the way for raising oil and gas production
Today at 4:30 am by Rocky
» Al-Saadawi and the Tunisian Foreign Minister discuss activating the Baghdad-Tunisia line
Today at 4:29 am by Rocky
» After joining Al-Halbousi, an agreement was reached to nominate Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani for the presid
Today at 4:28 am by Rocky
» The Minister of Commerce stresses from Manama the importance of supporting efforts made to enhance A
Today at 4:27 am by Rocky
» Minister of Oil: Most of the licensing round projects focused on gas patches to support electrical s
Today at 4:26 am by Rocky
» Al-Awadi: Terminating the work of the UNAMI mission came at an Iraqi request and a UN recommendation
Today at 4:25 am by Rocky
» Kurdistan Democratic Party: Resuming the export of the region's oil in the near future
Today at 4:24 am by Rocky
» After two years of isolation, Al-Sadr is looking for a majority that will not force him to ally with
Today at 4:23 am by Rocky
» Middle East Eye: A booming underground trade in alcohol in Iraq after it was banned in 2023
Today at 4:21 am by Rocky
» 4 million for each year of imprisonment... Freedom in exchange for money... A controversial new Iraq
Today at 4:20 am by Rocky
» The livestock sector in Iraq...indicators warning of a major crisis
Today at 4:18 am by Rocky
» “Unfair” reconstruction in Iraq: areas where machinery is crowded and others still demonstrating for
Today at 4:17 am by Rocky
» Economic statistics: The volume of internal debt in Iraq has risen to more than 76 trillion dinars
Today at 4:15 am by Rocky
» Saleh explains the relationship between the rise in gold and the decline of the dollar and warns of
Yesterday at 3:32 pm by Rocky
» The Minister of Oil sponsors the signing of an agreement to develop the Tuba oil field project with
Yesterday at 3:26 pm by Rocky
» In numbers... Basra Oil explains the importance of the Tuba field after signing a contract to develo
Yesterday at 3:25 pm by Rocky
» Electricity: The government provides energy at subsidized prices for (4) categories
Yesterday at 3:24 pm by Rocky
» The electricity produced in Iraq covers 65% of demand... and 15 thousand megawatts is a “deficit”
Yesterday at 3:22 pm by Rocky
» Parliamentary services: Government interest in Baghdad will make it one of the most beautiful capita
Yesterday at 3:21 pm by Rocky
» Basra Council emphasizes work to qualify young people and place them in the labor market
Yesterday at 3:19 pm by Rocky
» Politician: Al-Kadhimi was recommending that Plasschaert write “negative” reports about Iraq
Yesterday at 3:17 pm by Rocky
» Trade launches operations to lift the ban on the ration card next to Rusafa
Yesterday at 3:16 pm by Rocky
» utube 5/9/24 MM&C 0:02 / 46:46 PM - Al-Sudani - Golden Opportunity - Private Sector - Contra
Yesterday at 6:57 am by Rocky
» Bahr Al-Ulum calls for legislating the renewable energy law and localizing the solar panel industry
Yesterday at 6:49 am by Rocky
» In numbers: the rise in internal debt in Iraq
Yesterday at 6:49 am by Rocky
» Jordan demands that Iraq continue to export oil for another three months
Yesterday at 6:46 am by Rocky
» Iraq is the largest producer.. OPEC+ is pumping higher than scheduled and in anticipation of the Jun
Yesterday at 6:44 am by Rocky
» Close to the coordination framework: There is no intention to change the internal regulations of Par
Yesterday at 6:43 am by Rocky
» Central Bank sales exceed $274 million today
Yesterday at 6:41 am by Rocky
» But the representative of the exchange companies is pessimistic... Why did the dollar fall?... The C
Yesterday at 6:38 am by Rocky
» Jordan addresses Iraq to extend a memorandum of understanding to purchase oil
Yesterday at 6:36 am by Rocky
» Bribes increased from 3,000 to 50,000 dollars.. What is the condition of alcohol in Iraq after the p
Yesterday at 6:34 am by Rocky
» Presence movement: Sunnis and Kurds while the Americans remain in Iraq
Yesterday at 5:31 am by Rocky
» A deputy reveals the contents of the first water strategy in Iraq
Yesterday at 5:29 am by Rocky
» Soon...the second reading of the proposed red card law
Yesterday at 5:28 am by Rocky
» The discovery of 10 new oil and gas fields in the Anbar desert
Yesterday at 5:27 am by Rocky
» A bloc announces to “Al-Ma’louma” the date of the parliamentary speaker’s election session
Yesterday at 5:26 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Finance explains the mechanism for amending the retirement law
Yesterday at 5:24 am by Rocky
» Sovereignty accuses Al-Halbousi of obstructing the election of a Speaker of Parliament
Yesterday at 5:23 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Agriculture accuses Kurdistan of harming the farmers of the center and south
Yesterday at 5:22 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani confirms Iraq's readiness to host the Arab Network conference
Yesterday at 5:21 am by Rocky
» Nechirvan Barzani calls on the Iraqi government to allocate a budget to confront climate change
Yesterday at 5:20 am by Rocky
» “Iraq is in danger.” Political warnings against ending the work of the UN mission
Yesterday at 5:19 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi Interior Minister announces the signing of a security cooperation memorandum with Syria
Yesterday at 5:17 am by Rocky
» The Minister of Oil told “Al-Iqtisad News”: The 5th and 6th rounds will add 3 Mqmq of gas to Iraq’s
Yesterday at 5:16 am by Rocky
» Economist: Tax revenues from the private sector should be 4 trillion dinars annually
Yesterday at 5:14 am by Rocky
» The Real Estate Bank calls on the Iraqi Central Bank to determine a plan to allocate a new initiativ
Yesterday at 5:13 am by Rocky
» More than one billion and 400 million dollars...CBI sales within a week
Yesterday at 5:12 am by Rocky