DAMASCUS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th October, 2019) Anti-government protests have resumed in Baghdad, following a suspension for pilgrimage, media reported on Friday, adding that the situation in the Iraqi capital remained peaceful amid the rallies.
The protests were temporarily suspended in the middle of October during the pilgrimage to the holy places in southern Iraq.
The INA news agency reported that demonstrators gathered on the central Tahrir Square, preparing for Friday's protests.
Interior Minister Yassin Yasiri visited the area to talk to the demonstrators, who are waving Iraqi flags. The minister said that security officers would ensure their safety.
INA noted a friendly atmosphere amid the protesters.
The protests are also underway in the city of Nasiriyah in southern Iraq.
The Iraqi Interior Ministry said on Thursday its forces had been put on high alert across the country ahead of the expected resumption of protests on Friday.
The anti-government protests began in Baghdad in early October and subsequently spilled into several provinces in the south of the country. They have been overshadowed by violence between the demonstrators and law enforcement officers and led to a significant death toll.
According to the report by Iraq's commission probing deaths during demonstrations, as of October 22, at least 149 civilians and eight security officers had been killed and around 3,500 other people were injured in the unrest. The commission said that casualties among the civilians had been caused by excessive use of power and the use of combat weapons.
