The capital and southern Iraq have been shaken since October 1 by a new protest movement demanding the departure of a political class deemed corrupt.
Four demonstrators were killed and dozens wounded in the Iraqi capital on the night of Wednesday 20 to Thursday, November 21, during clashes with police, reported medical sources and police. Baghdad and the south of the country have been shaken sincest October by a movement of unprecedented and spontaneous protest demanding reforms and the departure of a political class deemed corrupt and incompetent. These rallies were peppered with violence that left more than 330 dead, mostly protesters.
In Baghdad, protesters from Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the movement, have tried in recent weeks to cross the three bridges spanning the Tigris to go to the other side where is the seat of government. But security forces erected concrete barriers to prevent them from moving forward, and late Wednesday night they used tear gas and live ammunition against protesters.
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One protester was shot dead and another died after being wounded by a tear gas grenade, according to medical and police sources. Human rights organizations have accused the authorities of shooting them directly at protesters rather than in the air. The type of grenade used, ten times heavier than normal, smashes skulls or torsos.
The night's clashes also left more than 50 injured, including at least six shots. The authorities fear that the protesters will want to cross the Al-Sinek bridge to go to the Iranian embassy, and the parallel one to Al-Ahrar, further north, to protest to the Central Bank and other government buildings. .
In Tahrir Square, protesters routinely denounce Iran as accusing them of bringing the current Iraqi leadership to power and of supporting the use of violence against the movement.
