In Irak
is het al even bal, men pikt het niet meer: de enorme werkloosheid
van 25% en de immense corruptie terwijl het het volk aan van alles
ontbreekt……. Wat betreft de corruptie gaat het om 450 miljard
dollar aan publieke gelden die verdwenen in de zakken van de
machthebbers……

De politie schiet op demonstranten en de belangrijkste sociale media zijn geblokkeerd, een geliefd instrument van overheden die het niet zo nauw nemen met de mensenrechten…. Overigens ook in het westen zijn een ongelofelijk aantal sites en blogs op zwart gezet…… Langzaam maar zeker verandert de situatie dan ook in het westen, waar de machthebbers steeds minder steunen op de democratie en processen die daarbij samengaan….. Men wil alle kritiek afdoen als fake news (nepnieuws) en manipulaties, terwijl juist de reguliere media zich hier schuldig aan maken, de voorbeelden zijn in grote hoeveelheden te vinden en zijn niet te missen!! (als je regelmatig de sociale en reguliere media volgt en ziet wat men in de reguliere durft te zeggen en schrijven over bijvoorbeeld de illegale oorlogen van de VS en haar oorlogshond de NAVO, rijzen de haren je te berge)

Bij de protesten in Irak zouden intussen 100 mensen zijn omgekomen door optreden van politie en leger…….

Het
westen en dan vooral de VS (met hulp van andere NAVO-lidstaten,
waaronder Nederland) hebben Irak naar de kloten geholpen, enorme
vernielingen, meer dan 1,5 miljoen in feite vermoorde burgerslachtoffers en voor de
rest één grote chaos……. Een waanzinnige prestatie….

Ongelofelijk
maar waar, hare VVD leeghoofdigheid Hennis-Plasschaert is met een politieke benoeming gebombardeerd tot VN
‘secretaris-generaal’ voor Irak….. In plaats van haar excuus aan te
bieden voor het door haar niet op tijd ingrijpen op de situatie in Irak, heeft ze haar ernstige zorgen
uitgesproken over de situatie in Irak…… Ach ja dat krijg je met
politieke benoemingen van nitwits op plekken waar deze figuren ver
van zouden moeten worden gehouden….. Zij was NB voorstander van de illegale oorlogen die de VS alleen deze eeuw al is begonnen, zoals deze oorlogen tegen Afghanistan, Irak, Libië* en Syrië…..

Het
volgende artikel werd geschreven door Alex MacDonald en Sylvain
Mercadier, verscheen eerder op Middle East Eye en werd door mij
overgenomen van Anti-Media:

Iraq
Protests: At Least 9 Dead After Police Open Fire on Crowds, Embassies
Sealed Off

October
2, 2019 at 1:37 pm

Written
by Middle
East Eye

(MEE) —
Riot police opened fire in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Wednesday
morning as a second day of demonstrations over corruption,
unemployment and other grievances began in the city.

At
least nine people have been killed, including one police officer,
since Tuesday, AP and AFP news agencies reported, while another
250 people have been injured.

The
violence prompted an appeal from Iraqi President Barham Salih
for “restraint and respecting the law” to prevent further
bloodshed.

Police
opened fire on protesters on Wednesday in the al-Shaab neighbourhood
of north Baghdad and in Zaafaraniya in the city’s south, AFP
news agency said.

The
Iraqi government also moved to blocked access to Facebook, WhatsApp,
Instagram and other social media platforms from around midday amid
the upheaval.

Later
on Wednesday, Iraq imposed curfews on three cities, Nassiriya,
Amara and Hilla, in the country’s south, Reuters reported.

The
country’s security forces blocked off several roads in the capital,
including a bridge to the fortified Green Zone in central
Baghdad, which is home to government buildings and foreign
embassies, Reuters reported.

The
Green Zone was reopened to the public in June for the first time
since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

On
Tuesday, Iraqi riot police used live ammunition and tear gas to
disperse protesters who gathered around the central location of
Tahrir Square.

(In het origineel is hier een andere video te zien, die ik niet kan overnemen)

Medics
and security sources on Wednesday confirmed that a third Iraqi
demonstrator died from wounds sustained when police fired tear gas
and live rounds to disperse protests in Baghdad. The 55-year-old man
was reportedly wounded in Tuesday’s demonstration.

Protests
have also broken out in other parts of Iraq.

A
health official also told AFP that two demonstrators were shot dead
on Wednesday in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah in Dhi Qar
province, while five protesters and 11 members of the security forces
were wounded.

Sources
told Alhurra that a local government building in Dhi Qar province was
also burned down.

The
violence shocked many who viewed the capital Baghdad, which has seen
a revival of its social life since the declared defeat of the Islamic
State group (IS) in March 2019, as being in a state of recovery.

A
statement issued by the Iraqi interior and health ministries on
Tuesday blamed “a group of rioters” for the unrest, adding that
around 40 members of the security services were among the wounded.

Salih,
however, said on Twitter that peaceful protest was a “constitutional
right for all citizens” and said the demonstrators had legitimate
grievances.

“Our
sons in the security forces have the duty to protect citizens’
rights and to maintain public security,” he said.

“Iraq’s
youth are looking towards reform and job opportunities, our duty is
to meet these legitimate aspirations.”

The
United Nations issued a call for calm on Wednesday and expressed
“deep concern” over the violence that had taken place during the
protests.

“The
special representative of the United Nations secretary-general for
Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, expresses grave concern over the
violence that accompanied some of the demonstrations in Baghdad and
other governorates,” it said a statement.

“She
calls for calm and deeply regrets the casualties among both the
protesters and security forces.”

Corruption
and Unemployment

According
to official figures, since 2004 almost $450bn of public funds
have vanished into the pockets of politicians and businessmen.

Iraq
is currently ranked as the world’s 12th most corrupt country
according to Transparency International’s Corruption
Perceptions Index.

In
addition, youth unemployment in Iraq is running at around 25 percent,
according to the World Bank, in a country where the vast majority of
the population is under 30.

Mohammed@MazAlJumaily

 · Oct 1, 2019

Replying to @MazAlJumaily

Protests have been widespread across #Iraq. This video is from Dhi Qar province.

Security forces taking a very heavy handed approach to dealing woth them as reports show that live ammunition, tear gas and water cannons are being used against them.

11:11 AM – Oct 2, 2019

Mohammed@MazAlJumaily

Protests also broke out in #Najaf

Mohammed@MazAlJumaily

Hundreds gathered for a funeral procession in #Baghdad for Mohammad al-Saidi, one of the victims of last night’s unrest. Al-Saidi is from #Sadr city

11:11 AM – Oct 2, 2019

(Let op: voor de videos bij deze Twitterberichten zie het origineel)

“The
government is fucking stupid. We are not given any rights,” Oussama
Walid, a protester from the al-Washash neighbourhood, told Middle
East Eye on Tuesday.

“[The
media] must explain what’s going on here to the world to have a
change. Try to explain, help us, help the people.”

Abd
al-Salam Shaker, missing one leg and sitting in a wheelchair in the
heart of the protests, said the government was made up of “a bunch
of thieves”.

Although
the problems facing Iraqis have existed for years, this week’s
protests – which also took place in northern and southern Iraq –
appear to have been sparked by the decision to remove
Lt Gen Abdulwahab al-Saadi from his role as head of the
elite Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS).

Saadi
is widely popular in Iraq for heading the CTS, which was at
the forefront of the fight against IS.

Seen
as a non-corrupt and non-sectarian Iraqi nationalist, Saadi – a
Shia – commanded support from across Iraq’s ethnic and religious
groups.

One
protester, who did not want to be identified, said he was just
waiting for Saadi to come and “lead the protests”.

“Our
aim is to push for a powerful leader. I myself believe that he can
lead us. I’m sure that he’s interested to come forward, but he
needs the people to show they are behind him,” he said.

Salam
al-Massudi, another protester, went further.

“We
want Saadi to be appointed prime minister of the government,” he
said.

By Alex
MacDonald, Sylvain Mercadier / Republished
with permission / Middle
East Eye / Report
a typo

===============================

* Door de illegale oorlog tegen Irak is niet alleen het eens rijkste land van Afrika in zware armoede en chaos gedompeld, maar hebben we ook oorlog in Mali gecreëerd, alweer een waanzinnige prestatie….

Zie ook:

Nearly 100 Protesters Dead as Calls Grow for Iraqi Government to Resign

Iraq: At least 1 killed at mass anti-government protests in Baghdad

==================================

Zie ook:

‘Irak gevangen door VS agressie richting Iran en daarnaast een opstand in eigen land‘ (en zie de links in dat bericht naar meer artikelen over Irak en Iran)