PHOTOS: Iraqi protesters in Baghdad call for trial of former PM

Demonstrators called for Maliki to face justice as they marked the third anniversary of the Speicher massacre where Islamic State (IS) militants killed hundreds of students at the Air Force base near Tikrit.

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – Protesters gathered at the Tahrir Square in Baghdad on Wednesday night calling for the arrest and trial of ex-Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki whom they call “the creator of the three scourges.”

Demonstrators called for Maliki to face justice as they marked the third anniversary of the Speicher massacre where Islamic State (IS) militants killed hundreds of students at the Air Force base near Tikrit.

Protestors carried coffins during the demonstration. (Photo: Facebook)
Protestors carried coffins during the demonstration. (Photo: Facebook)

The militants shot over 1,500 Shia Air Force cadets in an attack on Camp Speicher in the wake of the fall of Mosul in 2014.

The blame for the coinciding acts was laid on Maliki’s shoulders as protesters believe he bears full responsibility for the deaths of those soldiers.

Many carried signs and banners during the protest. (Photo: Facebook)
Many carried signs and banners during the protest. (Photo: Facebook)

According to a Kurdistan24 Baghdad correspondent, those in attendance chanted explicit slogans demanding an investigation and trial for the circumstances under which the massacre took place.

People called for Maliki, who was in power for eight years, to go on trial. (Photo: Facebook)
People called for Maliki, who was in power for eight years, to go on trial. (Photo: Facebook)

Banners listed the three “plagues” demonstrators believe Maliki is responsible for: the fall of Mosul, the Speicher Massacre, and the squandering of Iraq’s money.

In August 2016, Iraqi authorities executed 36 men sentenced over the massacre.

Demonstrators hold a banner. (Photo: Facebook)
Demonstrators hold a banner. (Photo: Facebook)

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany