Two senior security officials sacked in Basra over violence against protesters

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Two security officials in Basra have been sacked after violence erupted between protesters and security forces in the city following the assassination of a prominent activist by unknown assailants.

Yehia Rasool, spokesperson of Iraqi Commander-in-Chief Mustafa al-Kadhimi – who is also the Prime Minister – released a statement on Monday confirming the removal of two senior security officials in the Iraqi city of Basra by the Iraqi PM after security forces were found to have used live ammunition and tear gas canisters on protestors.

“Under the guidance of the Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, the Minister of Interior dismisses Lieutenant General Rashid Falih from his duties as Basra Police Chief, and assigns Major General Abbas Naji to replace him,” Rasool said in the statement.

Kadhimi also instructed the head of Iraq’s national security agency to sack the organization’s top man in Basra, according to Rasool.

Iraqi protesters expanded their movement in Basra on Sunday following the assassination of Tahseen Oussama, a civil rights activist in the city on Friday.

Oussama had taken part in local anti-establishment and anti-corruption protests that had spread across the country from the Iraqi capital of Baghdad in October of last year. He was a vocal critic of both the government and of militias accused of killing protesters with impunity.

Videos circulating on social media platforms showing security forces using live ammunition against protesters in front of the governor’s house and the governorate building in Basra city on Sunday. They also show some protesters using Molotov cocktails against security forces.

Iraq has seen frequent protests since October 2019, with demonstrators demanding basic services, jobs, and the fall of the corruption-rife political establishment that have been in place since the 2003 US invasion.

When security forces and pro-Iran militias began attacking the protesters, killing hundreds, activists began demanding an end to foreign interference in Iraqi affairs and called for the overthrow of the political elite.

Iraqi activists have been warning of an increasingly threatening environment for those who speak out against the country's current political order. Data provided to Rudaw English from the Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights (IHCHR) last month put the number of successful targeted assassinations of protesters and aligned activists between October 1, 2019 and March 17, 2020 at 22.

Nearly 560 protesters and security force members have been killed at demonstrations since October 2019, according to data provided by Hisham Dawoud, advisor to the prime minister.

However, human rights monitor Amnesty International estimates that at least 600 protesters and members of the security forces have been killed, with more than 18,000 injured in the protests.

Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi has previously vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Leaders from across the political spectrum have condemned the deaths, but protesters complain that the killers – largely believed to be members of Iran-backed militias - are not being brought to justice.

Under the rule of Kadhimi’s government, two protesters were killed in clashes with security forces late last month, when electricity cuts and soaring temperatures prompted demonstrations in central Baghdad.

Kadhimi ordered an investigation into the deaths, demanding answers within 72 hours.

The Iraqi government later suspended three soldiers, including two senior officers, in connection with the deaths.

“These criminal acts are the result of many years of conflict,” Kadhimi said in an interview with the Associated Press published on Monday, blaming poor policies and improper management by his predecessors for undermining the authority of the state. “It is not surprising then that criminals work here and there to destabilize security.”

“We are committed to reforming the security establishment and enhancing its ability to deal with these kinds of challenges and holding accountable those who fail to protect civilians and put an end to these outlawed groups,” he said.

Two senior security officials sacked in Basra over violence against protesters

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