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2019-10-29 Iraq
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Iraq declares a curfew in the capital
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[TWITTER] The rallies have gathered despite temporary curfews, threats of arrest and violence that has left nearly 240 people dead, including five protesters in Baghdad on Monday.
The military said cars and foot traffic would be barred in the capital for six hours starting at midnight.
The move sparked concern security forces want to clear out main gathering places like the capital’s Tahrir Square, occupied by demonstrators for four consecutive nights.
Security forces there have relied heavily on tear gas to keep protesters from storming the Green Zone, which hosts government offices and foreign missions.
But protesters had otherwise been allowed to set up tents in Tahrir and taken over multi-story buildings there since Thursday in a marked departure from the response to protests during the first week of this month.
They were joined in the past 24 hours by a huge contingent of students, who joined despite stern warnings by the higher education minister and the prime minister’s office that they should “stay away.”
“No school, no classes, until the regime collapses!” boycotting students shouted on Monday in Diwaniyah, 180 kilometers (120 miles) south of the capital.
Diwaniyah’s union of universities and schools announced a 10-day strike on Monday “until the regime falls,” with thousands of uniformed pupils and even professors flooding the streets.
Young protesters still gathered on Monday morning in the southern cities of Nasiriyah, Hillah and Basra.
In Kut, most government offices were shut for lack of staff.
In the province of Diyala, which had so far been calm, two members of the provincial council resigned in solidarity with the rallies.
Even in the holy city of Najaf, dozens of young clerics-to-be took to the streets.
PARLIAMENTARY PARALYSIS
On Monday, Iraq’s parliament voted to dissolve the provincial councils, cancel the extra privileges of top officials and summon embattled Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi for questioning.
Abdel Mahdi has proposed a laundry list of reforms, including hiring drives, increased pensions and promises to root out corruption.
Iraqi President Barham Saleh has also held discussions with the UN on electoral reform and amendments to the 2005 constitution, but they have not appeased protesters.
In solidarity with demonstrators, four lawmakers resigned late on Sunday, and the largest parliamentary bloc has been holding an open-ended sit-in since Saturday night.
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Posted by Fred 2019-10-29 00:00||
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File under: Govt of Iraq
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