UN URGES CALM IN BASRA AFTER SIX DEMONSTRATORS ARE KILLED
▶ Security forces fire on crowd that had gathered for funeral of a protester who was shot dead
The UN envoy to Iraq yesterday called for calm in Basra after authorities fired on civilians, killing six and wounding others, in the bloodiest day in two months of protests.
Jan Kubis urged security forces “to avoid disproportionate, lethal force against the demonstrators, provide the necessary protection for the people of Basra, ensure human rights while protecting law and order, and hold accountable those responsible” for the violence.
Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi ordered an investigation into Tuesday’s clashes after the funeral procession for Mekki Ashur, 26, a demonstrator shot dead the day before.
Thousands of people rallied outside the local government headquarters in Basra. Some threw Molotov cocktails and fireworks at the building.
Troops guarding the headquarters fired bullets and tear gas at stone-throwing protesters, wounding 20.
About 15 members of the security forces were injured.
In Baghdad, Mr Al Abadi repeated that he had ordered “no real bullets to be fired in the direction of protesters or in the air”.
Demonstrators accompanied Ashur’s coffin through Basra to the government building before being dispersed by tear gas. During the procession some armed civilians fired shots into the air and hailed him as a martyr.
In Baghdad a symbolic funeral procession was organised in Ashur’s memory.
In Basra city, police and military cordons were put in place, blocking several roads, while hospitals were filled with protesters bringing in people wounded in the clashes.
The head of the government’s human rights council in Basra province said tension was high in the city and that shops had shut earlier than usual.
Mehdi Al Tamimi warned of further escalation “if the government doesn’t respond to the demonstrators’ demands”.
The government has announced an emergency plan in response to the protests, while promising billions of dollars in investment for southern Iraq.
But residents are wary of such pledges because Iraqi politicians are in the process of forming a new government after May’s election.
Political corruption has also contributed to the protests, which erupted in Basra on July 8 before spreading across southern Iraq and reaching the capital. Social problems, from unemployment to electricity cuts, have also been central complaints.
Iraqis have called on authorities to clean up the water supply, with pollution blamed for putting 20,000 people in hospital in Basra province alone.
Since early July, 21 people have been killed in rallies across Iraq. Security forces shot dead at least one person.
Authorities said vandals and troublemakers had infiltrated the rallies.