Iraqi police opened fire on Friday against a small group of protesters near Tahrir Square in Baghdad, Shafaq reported.
“Iraqi police opened fire on a small group of protesters near Tahrir Square in Baghdad … In most areas of the capital there is silence on Friday morning”, – the agency said.
It is noted that security officers are dispersed throughout the main squares and streets. According to the agency, the demonstrators are preparing a large-scale protest for the second half of Friday.
In turn, the Prime Minister of Iraq, Adil Abd al-Mahdi, in a televised address on Friday morning said that there was no “magic” solution to all problems, but he would try to pass a law on the payment of benefits to low-income families. He also announced the creation of a committee that will release the previously detained protesters, and those who died during the demonstrations are recognized as “martyrs.”
Earlier, a source in the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said that the number of victims of unrest in Iraq reached 31, almost 1,188 people were injured.
The protests began on Tuesday in Baghdad; by Wednesday, protests rallied not only Baghdad, but also several other provinces. Demonstrators demand the resignation of the government, as well as improving living conditions, solving problems in the field of health, education and the labor market, and the fight against corruption. In connection with the demonstrations, the checkpoints on the border with Iran were closed.
The Iraqi authorities completely cut off Internet access in Baghdad and several other areas in the center and south of the country.
The curfew imposed on Thursday night in Baghdad also enveloped the provinces of Najaf, Maysan, Zi-Kar, Babil, and Vasit in the evening. However, the protests did not stop.