- Title: Curfew imposed in Baghdad following protests
- Date: 3rd October 2019
- Summary: BAGHDAD, IRAQ (OCTOBER 3, 2019) (REUTERS) PROTESTERS RUNNING (AUDIO OF GUNFIRE) PROTESTERS RUNNING AND WALKING AWAY PROTESTER SHOWING INJURIES TO SHOULDER, PROTESTER SHOWING INJURY TO FACE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PROTESTER, NAME NOT PROVIDED, SAYING: "Despite the curfew we are going out to protest to call for our rights. We want to change the regime. They have arrested our people. They have done things to our people they did not even do to Daesh (Islamic State). They have beat them up and humiliated them while firing live gunfire. What did we do? Are we suicide bombers? We are here to call for our rights and all these people." PROTESTER RUNNING ON STREET PEOPLE SITTING ON SIDE OF ROAD (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PROTESTER, NAME NOT PROVIDED, SAYING: "The people are being robbed. The people are now begging on the street. There is no work, you come to protest, they fire at you. Live gunfire. They are all Iranian speaking in Farsi. You want to speak to them they answer in Farsi. The Iraqis would not fire at you." VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS SITTING BY SIDE OF ROAD PROTESTERS CHANTING POLICE VAN PARKED ON ROAD VEHICLE DRIVING ON ROAD POLICE VAN DRIVING ON EMPTY SQUARE POLICE CHECKPOINT ONE VEHICLE AND MOTORCYCLE ON ROAD PROTESTERS GATHERED ON SIDE OF ROAD VARIOUS OF NEAR EMPTY BAGHDAD SQUARES AND STREETS
- Embargoed: 17th October 2019 10:47
- Keywords: Baghdad protests Iraq Adel Abdul Mahdi curfew Middle East
- Location: BAGHDAD, IRAQ
- City: BAGHDAD, IRAQ
- Country: Iraq
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Civil Unrest
- Reuters ID: LVA001AZJKQX3
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi on Wednesday (October 2) declared a curfew in Baghdad until further notice after several deaths and hundreds of injured during two days of nationwide anti-government protests.
By Thursday (October 3), the death toll had risen to 18 after 11 people were killed during protests overnight in two southern Iraqi cities, including a policeman, police and medical sources said.
Curfews were imposed earlier on Wednesday in three southern cities while elite counter-terrorism troops opened fire on protesters trying to storm Baghdad airport and deployed to the southern city of Nassiriya after gunfights broke out between protesters and security forces, police sources said.
"All vehicles and individuals are totally forbidden to move in Baghdad as of 5 a.m. (0200 GMT) today, Thursday, and until further notice," Abdul Mahdi said in a written statement.
Troops patrolled main roads and public spaces in Baghdad, but by morning small, sporadic demonstrations had begun again in defiance of the open-ended curfew imposed in the capital.
One protester said he refused to believe that the deaths of the demonstrators came at the hands of fellow Iraqis and alleged Iranian links, despite there being no independent evidence to verify this.
Curfews were imposed in Nassiriya, Amara and Hilla as protests that began on Tuesday (October 1) over unemployment, corruption and poor public services escalated.
(Production: Maher Nazeh, Mostafa Salem) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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