At least 7 killed, 100 injured in Baghdad as Iraq protests continue: reports

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – At least seven people were killed as protests in Iraq continued on Saturday, local media sources said on Sunday.

Iraqi media quoted medical sources who said seven people were killed and nearly 100 injured when demonstrators tried to reach the fortified Green Zone in the capital of Baghdad.

Since they began in early October, widespread protests in Iraq have resulted in the deaths of at least 300, while some 12,000 have been injured, Iraq’s High Commission for Human Rights said on Saturday.

Read More: UN human rights office concerned about rising death toll in Iraq protests

Demonstrators are calling for radical change in Iraq’s political system, which they say fails to address their needs, but, rather, serves the interests of a small governing elite.

The protests over the past month reflect widespread dissatisfaction with the economy, including high levels of unemployment, the dismal state of public services, and widespread government corruption.

On Saturday, Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi said the nationwide protests had pressured political groups to bring about reforms but repeated a call for an end to demonstrations.

“The protests have helped and will help pressure political groups, the government…to reform and accept change,” Abdul Mahdi said in a statement his office released.

Read More: Iraqi PM says protests have helped ‘pressure’ political groups

Elsewhere, Iraq’s Umm Qasr port was reopened as operations resumed while Iraqi security forces regained control of three bridges in Baghdad.