Iraq: Calls for ending assassination and kidnapping of activists

Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights called on Friday for the Interior Ministry to put an end to the assassination and kidnapping of activists protesting against the government and its politicians, Anadolu Agency reports.

This came during a meeting in Parliament, with the presence of interior minister, Yassin Al-Yasseri, and commissioner of the High Commission for Human Rights, Aqeel Al-Mosawi.

A statement issued by the commission announced that during the meeting, Al-Mosawi demanded that the security services should protect the protesters, the protest squares and guarantee safety and freedom of expression.

Al-Mosawi also called for the interior minister to “put an end to the repeated assassination and kidnapping crimes against the protesters and media activists, as well as to prosecute the perpetrator of these crimes.”

Read: Iraq’s top Shia cleric condemns killings, kidnappings of protesters

The commissioner stressed on the importance of disclosing the findings of the investigations into these incidents and crimes “as soon as possible.”

Protesters and activists in the country have been subjected to a harsh crackdown by the security services and lethal attacks by Shia militia. The government has repeatedly pledged to prosecute the perpetrators, but have yet failed to do so.

Since October, there have been unprecedented protests in the country, where 496 protesters have been killed and over 17,000 others wounded, Anadolu Agency reported.

Read: Sistani calls for early elections to avoid ‘chaos and infighting’ in Iraq