Five people were killed on Monday night in the Iraqi city of Karbala during a crackdown on demonstrations and an attempt by protesters to storm the Iranian Consulate building, the Shafaq news Agency reported.
“Five people were killed during the dispersal of demonstrations and attempts to storm the Iranian Consulate in Karbala, several wounded”, – the Agency reported, citing sources in the medical community.
In turn, the local high Commission on human rights reported three victims among the demonstrators as a result of the dispersal by the security forces.
Earlier, witnesses stated that demonstrators set fire to the door of the Consulate, after which clashes with the security services of the diplomatic mission began.
Shafaq also reports that the demonstrators changed the Iranian flag at the Consulate to Iraqi.
In most Iraqi cities with a predominantly Shiite population, a general strike was announced on Monday, and key routes were blocked.
The protesters during the protests since October demand the resignation of the government, the fight against corruption, unemployment, and better living conditions. The Prime Minister of Iraq before the resumption of demonstrations announced plans to carry out rearrangements in the Cabinet and change the law on elections. However, he said that the resignation of the entire government would plunge the country into chaos. Earlier, the authorities made a reshuffle in the leadership of the provincial security agencies, where protests erupted.