Four anti-government protesters shot dead in Iraq

IRAQ: Four anti-government protesters have been shot dead by government forces in the Iraqi city of Nasiriyah. The protesters took to the streets to express their dissatisfaction with weak government service, boycotting health standards and lockdown issued due to the second wave of coronavirus.

They launched a movement against unemployment and corruption in late 2019, which later turned anti-government in southern Iraq and Baghdad.

Four members of the movement have been shot dead after voices began to spread across the country. Government security personnel fired gunshots during the protest on Friday. Three protesters were shot and died on the spot and another died without receiving treatment.

“A further 47 protesters are shot and wounded, while hospitals are flooded with coronavirus cases. We are having a hard time treating the injured,” the international media quoted a health worker saying.

Source: Agency