Hundreds of protesters gathered Friday in the Iraqi city of Nasiriyah demanding the release of activists arrested over earlier demonstrations, with clashes breaking out between protesters and security forces.
The city in the southern province of Dhi Qar has frequently been a flashpoint of anti-government discontent.
The renewed protests come five years after the outbreak of mass anti-government protests in the Iraqi capital and southern provinces calling for reforms.
Protesters Friday called for the release of a group of detained activists who had participated in the October 2019 demonstrations as well as in more recent protests, saying that the legal cases against them were “retaliatory.” They called for the local police chief to step down. The gathering was attended by several Iraqi legislators who support the protest movement.
From October to December 2019, Iraq witnessed the largest protest movement since 2003, leading to the fall of the government and the adoption of a new electoral law by parliament.
Hundreds of protesters were killed and thousands injured as Iraqi security forces used live ammunition and snipers in a violent crackdown and many more arrested.
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