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Najaf guesthouse set on fire by protesters (Al Mirbad) |
Summer has started in Iraq. Temperatures are rising. The coronavirus is spreading and shutting down large sectors of the country’s non-oil economy. Electricity shortages are starting. Most importantly, the demands of the protesters have never been met. That led to five demonstrations in the south on Sunday.
People took to the streets in Najaf, Dhi Qar, Diwaniya, and
Muthanna on Sunday. In Nasiriya, Dhi Qar people gathered at the Appeals Court
demanding that the people responsible for the deaths of activists be put on
trial, while at the Traffic
Directorate the director was called on to resign. In Rifai,
Dhi Qar protesters cut the main road asking for the district head to be
replaced. Activists went to the governor’s
house in Diwanaiya telling
him to step down and also blocked the highway to Muthanna. The government building in Samawa,
Muthanna was closed by demonstrators who called for Prime Minister Mustafa
Kazemi to pass reforms,
that governors be evaluated over their performance, early elections, and to
bring to justice those that killed protesters. Najaf saw violence as people burned the outside of a
guesthouse used by the governor, while the police fired
live ammunition at the crowd wounding several. That was a direct challenge
to PM Kazemi who banned
such shootings. These are all old
grievances activists have been demanding for years now. That comes down to
better governance, adequate services, and accountability.
This might be the start of wider demonstrations to come. According to Al Mada
several cities in the south are preparing for large protests. Some activists
were giving Kazemi time
to see whether his administration would be any better than the previous ones.
He did order the closure
of Thar Allah’s party offices in Basra after its guards shot demonstrators
in Basra. He also released
almost all the protesters that were detained. He also created
a committee to look into the violence perpetrated against the
demonstrations. This doesn’t appear to be enough to satisfy the organizers. The
result has been small protests across the south almost every day of Kazemi’s
government so far, but Sunday was by far the most.
Kazemi is greatly restrained in meeting the demands of
activists. He can’t tackle corruption for instance because the ruling parties
use it to rule the country. Putting members of the police, army and Hashd
al-Shaabi on trial for shooting at demonstrators also could lead to unforeseen consequences
within the ranks of the security forces. Forming a committee to look into the
issue has historically been used by premiers to make it look like they’re doing
something when nothing ever comes of them. Even early voting seem far off.
There doesn’t appear to be any rush to draft and pass an election law. That
could mean a very long summer for Kazemi if people return to the streets like
they have the previous years.
SOURCES
AIN, “Urgent Al-Kazemi instructs the formation of a
government committee to draw up a list of victims of the protests,” 5/18/20
Foltyn, Simona, “Iraqi protesters remain in jail in test for
new PM,” Al Jazeera, 5/16/20
Al Mada, “Protesters besieged the government offices to
force them to resign,” 6/7/20
- “Protesters in Baghdad and the provinces suspend
escalation: handing over local government and sensitive positions to the
judiciary,” 5/13/20
Al Mirbad, “Demonstration at Dhi Qar Appeals Court calling
for the trial of those accused of killing demonstrators,” 6/7/20
- “A demonstration in Samawa calls on Al-Kazemi for reforms
and expediting the evaluation of the performance of officials,” 6/7/20
- “Dozens of Diwaniya demonstrators try to protest against
the governor’s house,” 6/7/20
- “Journalist for Al-Mirbad: Burning the door of the
guesthouse in Najaf, not the governor’s house,” 6/7/20
- “The Muthanna government building was closed by demonstrators
in agreement with the security forces,” 6/7/20
- “Protesters in Diwaniya block the road linking Muthanna to
demand the governor’s resignation,” 6/7/20
Al Nasiriya, “In pictures: A demonstration in front of Dhi
Qar Traffic Directorate calling for the director’s resignation,” 6/7/20
- “Source: Protesters in Al-Rifai cut off the main road to
demand the selection of a new District Commissioner,” 6/7/20
NINA, “Angry Protesters Burn Najaf Governorate Guesthouse
Caravan,” 6/7/20
- “Basra police closed the headquarters of the “Tha’r Allah”
party, against the backdrop of shooting at the demonstrators,” 5/11/20
- “Al-Kadhimi orders to emphasize respect for human rights
and prevent shootings at protesters,” 5/10/20
Shafaaq News, “Protesters were injured by live ammunition
during a fire in a government building in Najaf,” 6/7/20
- “Protests escalated in Iraqi province and clashes with
security forces erupted,” 6/7/20
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