New Iraq PM: Those who attack protesters will be held accountable

The Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi affirmed his government’s commitment to holding accountable “those involved in assaulting and killing the protesters”.

“We are committed to our pledge to the Iraqi people; to respect human rights, the right to peaceful demonstrations, protecting demonstrators, holding those involved in assaulting them accountable, carrying out the reform process and conducting free and fair elections,” Al-Kadhimi said during a meeting with the European ambassadors on Monday.

The PM urged the European envoys to continue their countries’ support for Iraq in its war against Daesh as well as its economy which has been crippled by the coronavirus pandemic and the drop in oil prices.

He also called on the European companies to invest in Iraq and pledged to facilitate their investments and remove obstacles that may face their work.

On Saturday, Al-Kadhimi ordered the release of all protesters detained since the anti-government demonstrations erupted in October, and for the relatives of the nearly 600 protesters who had been killed in the unrest to be compensated.

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