Basra: Tribes give government 48 hours to release detainees

Tribes in Basra province, southern Iraq, have given the Iraqi government 48 hours to release all protest detainees in the province.

Since the start of the second wave of protests, on Friday, security forces in Basra arrested dozens of demonstrators, claiming that they are suspected of setting fire to government institutions.

Ahmed Al-Bazuni, an elder of the Al-Bazun tribe, said in a statement, on Wednesday, that the tribes’ sheikhs in Basra gave the government 48 hours to release all the demonstrators. However, in case such demands were not met, then the tribes will have to stand by the side of the righteous. Al-Bazuni pointed out that a committee of tribal elders and jurists was formed to follow up the cases of those detainees.

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He also indicated that the elders of the tribes of Basra agreed to support the demonstrators’ legitimate demands, and participate in the sit-ins if their demands were not fulfilled.

The labour unions, associations, universities and employees of several ministries, announced joining the protests that began last Friday in Baghdad and the central and southern provinces, against the government of Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi.

The protests have been marred by widespread violence since Friday, leading to the death of at least 80 people and wounding thousands.

The new wave of protests is the second of its kind to break out in October, following another one, which took place two weeks ago and resulted in the death of 149 protesters and eight security members.