Iraqi Prime Minister Says 2,500 People Detained for Participating in Riots Released
Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi announced at a cabinet meeting that Iraqi courts had released 2,500 detainees who participated in the nationwide anti-government protests in Iraq, recognizing the government's mistakes with regard to the use of force against demonstrators, his office said on Wednesday
"The courts issued a decision to release 2,500 detainees who are connected with the protests," Mahdi said at the Tuesday meeting, pointing out that around 240 people still remained in detention.
On November 26, a source in the local High Commission for Human Rights told Sputnik that a protester had died from a gunshot wound in central Baghdad near the Al-Ahrar bridge.
Mahdi acknowledged that there were mistakes in the actions against the protesters.
However, at the same time, he stressed that there was also a violation of public order.
"The people had suffered great material damage and this must be respected, [but] the state cannot be inactive in regard to the collapse of public order," Mahdi noted.
He said that anyone, "who cut roads, bridges, burned and affected the work of ministries," should be held responsible for such actions.
The protests in Iraq started in early October and developed in waves of escalation. The people are demanding the ouster of the government, as well as economic reforms, better living conditions and an end to corruption. As of now, the death toll from the protests has exceeded 300, with about 15,000 others being injured. In November, 66 Iraqi officers stood before trial for excessive use of force against protesters.