Iraqi protesters kill alleged teen ‘infiltrator’ they claim shot at them
Iraqi protesters killed a teenage male they accused of firing a gun at them and then publicly hung his body on a utility pole in central Baghdad’s al-Wathba Square, close to the Tigris River.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi protesters killed a teenage male they accused of firing a gun at them and then publicly hung his body on a utility pole in central Baghdad’s al-Wathba Square, close to the Tigris River.
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 which began in early October.
The victim's age has not been confirmed but has been reported both as 16 by the media and as 17 by a witness who spoke to Kurdistan 24.
Dozens gathered at the scene, with some taking pictures and filming as others shouted that the fate of “infiltrators” would be “the pole.”
So-called “infiltrators” or “saboteurs” have been accused of trying to derail protests and, on occasion, wounding and killing demonstrators.
The incident comes as casualty numbers since the protests began have reached 450 dead and at least 17,600 others injured in clashes between demonstrators and security forces.
Witnesses recounted to Kurdistan 24 that a number of demonstrators first stormed a house, the resident of which they claimed had shot protesters. The witnesses added that the demonstrators dragged the alleged gunman, reportedly a minor, out into the street to beat and kill him.
There were conflicting reports about the victim’s wife being killed along with him, though it was not confirmed whether or not he was married.
One source told Kurdistan 24 that the demonstrators killed him with a “white weapon” and refused to hand it over to the security forces until after he was suspended and photographed.
The source claimed that the victim had opened fire on protesters with a Kalashnikov, “killing five,” noting that the initial shooting had resulted from a “quarrel between them.”
The timing of the recounted confrontation was unclear, and a medical source denied a deadly incident had occurred in the area today.
Other witnesses said that the demonstrators first torched the person’s home and then brought him into the street, where he was strung up on the utility pole. After suspending the body, sources said that protesters took it down again, pulling it in the streets and shouting, “this killer should be dragged everywhere.”
Video footage circulated on social media showed members of Iraq's security forces near the incident, but not appearing to interfere.
These accounts of the circumstances of the person’s death could not be independently verified. Kurdistan 24 was not able to reach any security officials willing to comment on the incident.
Gunmen have killed dozens of protesters in Baghdad alone, with some members reportedly carrying out stabbings disguised as demonstrators themselves.
One recent day of deadly shootings occurred on Friday, when suspected members of Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) militias killed an estimated 23, including three police officers, and wounded over a hundred more.
Read More: Violence flares in Baghdad as unidentified shooters gun down protesters
Several local media outlets have also accused PMF militias of being behind the killings. On Dec. 5, just after supporters of Kata’ib Hezbollah, one of the most prominent Iran-backed PMF groups, briefly joined protests in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square, demonstrators say that 15 among the crowds were stabbed.
Read More: Multiple stabbings after Iran-backed militia supporters join Baghdad protest
On Saturday, Iraqi Parliamentary Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi released a statement condemning the violence and urging that “government and the security forces should take their role by force of law to maintain security and protect citizens, their property and capabilities, and to prevent any armed appearances outside the framework of the state.”
Earlier in the day, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, strongly condemned the violence.
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,” Hennis-Plasschaert said in a statement.
Editing by John J. Catherine