The security situation in the southern city of Basra flared on Tuesday when thousands of Iraqis staged angry protests demanding clean water, electricity, services, and employment.
The protests were further fueled by the killing of a former fighter of the Popular Mobilization Forces member on Monday. Reports said hundreds of Basra residents participated in his funeral Tuesday.
Also, protestors set fire to part of the city governorate’s building, clashing with security forces. Wednesday’s events left dozens of casualties and injuries.
Mahdi al-Tamimi, the local head of Iraq’s Human Rights Commission, said that six protesters were killed and more than 20 were injured until Wednesday night, accusing security forces of directly opening fire on protestors.
“We call on the Iraqi judiciary to open an immediate and urgent investigation into the killing of a demonstrator who was shot in the shoulder and subjected to electric shocks by security forces,” Tamimi said in a statement, Reuters reports.
In a step to calm the situation, officials in the southern province imposed a curfew in Basra.
Reports said protestors have also laid siege to the governorate building in Basra from three sides.
Despite being fiercely confronted by security forces, protestors were able to enter the building and set several parts of it on fire.
Separately, the new Iraqi parliament met again on Wednesday but failed to reach any results in the absence of a majority of deputies.
The eldest lawmaker member, Mohammed Ali Zayni, who temporarily chairs the newly-elected parliament, said he is giving deputies until September 15 to elect a new speaker.
The decision comes as each of the country’s competing political blocs claim to hold the majority to form the largest alliance, which will have the right to form the next government.
On Wednesday, Moqtada al-Sadr’s bloc, which includes the Victory alliance of outgoing Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, and his rival, former PM Nuri al-Maliki and head of an alliance of pro-Iranian parties, Hadi al-Ameri were referred to the Federal Supreme Court of Iraq to decide which of the two blocs will be declared the largest.
The parliament session was suspended awaiting the court's response.
