As part of the efforts to pursue the killers of activists in Iraq, Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi reiterated his government's determination to continue investigations and arrest anyone involved in assaults on protesters. He confirmed that the security and judicial agencies are serious about working to reach the perpetrators of the killings, noting that they had previously succeeded in arresting the killers of martyr journalist Ahmad Abdul-Samad and the "death squads" in Basra, along with several killers of protesters.
Al-Kadhimi made these statements on Saturday during a visit to the family of activist Anas Malik, who died from his injuries after being wounded during protests in the city of Nasiriyah, the capital of Dhi Qar province, in southern Iraq, last year. He also added that Nasiriyah has suffered from marginalization for decades, and its inhabitants are currently suffering due to lack of services and wrong policies, emphasizing that the government is giving significant attention to the province, highlighting the inauguration of several important projects there.
Al-Kadhimi pledged to protect the demonstrators. He had previously promised not to tolerate any security or armed personnel who used live ammunition against protesters, emphasizing the need to protect peaceful demonstrators and achieve justice for the families of those killed during the protests. Since the current government took office in May 2020, it has undertaken welcomed steps to establish an independent fact-finding commission and provided compensation to the victims and their families.
Ongoing investigations to uncover the killers have also led the Supreme Judicial Council to establish judicial investigation committees in every province, recording 8,163 cases of violations and complaints related to violence during the protests and initiating thousands of investigations.
It is noteworthy that on the first of this month, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) documented 48 assassination attempts or incidents against protesters and critics during the period from October 1, 2019, to May 15, 2021. It pointed out that the majority of shooting incidents were carried out by "unknown armed elements," resulting in the death of at least 32 individuals and injuring 21 others. The report added that these armed individuals had succeeded in evading punishment after kidnapping, torturing, or mistreating at least 32 demonstrators, while 20 others who were kidnapped remain missing.
