'Grave concern' over deaths, arrests at Baghdad protests: UN Security Council

Members of the UN Security Council on Friday expressed “grave concern” at the loss of life of those demonstrating, and the “killing, maiming, and arbitrary arrests of unarmed demonstrators.”

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) on Friday expressed “grave concern” at the loss of life of those demonstrating, and the “killing, maiming, and arbitrary arrests of unarmed demonstrators.”

“The members of the Security Council acknowledged the right to peaceful assembly in Iraq and called for Iraqi authorities to promptly conduct transparent investigations into the violence against those demonstrating,” a press statement of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) said.

National anti-corruption demonstrations have taken place throughout much of Iraq since the start of October and have seen hundreds killed, according to news reports, the Committee to Protect Journalists said this week.

Casualty numbers since the protests began have reached over 450 dead and at least 17,600 others injured in clashes between demonstrators and security forces.

Gunmen have killed dozens of protesters in Baghdad alone, with some security force and militia members reportedly carrying out stabbings disguised as demonstrators.

One Iraqi journalist was recently killed during the protests and photojournalist Zaid Mohammed al-Khafaji was kidnapped by an armed group on Dec. 6, the CPJ further said. 

Moreover, on Thursday, a mob of anti-government protestors killed a teenager named Maitham Ali Ismail, believing, apparently mistakenly, that he had shot a firearm at them. 

Read More: Iraqi protesters kill alleged teen ‘infiltrator’ they claim shot at them 

Multiple social media pages shared videos of the hanging, though many comments sharply criticized the move and considered it a departure from the largely peaceful spirit of the national anti-corruption demonstrations.

The murder was condemned by the Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the Washington Post reported.

UNSC members said they were alarmed by the involvement of armed groups in extrajudicial killings and kidnappings and called for “maximum restraint” and urged all to refrain from violence or the destruction of critical infrastructure.

They also welcomed efforts “toward an inclusive dialogue between the Government and people” of Iraq to “urgently deliver reforms aimed at addressing legitimate demands over economic opportunity, governance, and electoral legislation.” 

They also supported the efforts by UNAMI and the UN’s Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, “to support and assist the Government of Iraq and the Iraqi people with inclusive political dialogue, national- and community-level reconciliation, and electoral assistance to the Government of Iraq and Independent High Electoral Commission.”

Last week, Hennis-Plasschaert, strongly condemned the violence in a statement. 

Read More: UN Iraq chief strongly condemns attacks on protesters in Baghdad  

“The deliberate killing of unarmed protesters by armed elements is nothing less than an atrocity against the people of Iraq. The perpetrators must be identified and brought to justice without delay.”

Editing by John J. Catherine