Iraqi protesters block the Fahd bridge on an international highway in the southern city of Nasiriyah, on January 20, 2020 (Photo: Reuters)
In October 2019, anti-government protests erupted in Iraq over the deteriorating economic conditions and corruption. Below is a timeline of the events.
1 October 2019:Mass rallies begin in Iraq's streets.
3 October 2019:Thousands of protesters clash with riot police, leaving 28 dead. Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi declares a curfew in Baghdad.
4 October 2019:Ten more protesters are killed, raising the death toll to 53, according to Iraqi medical and security officials.
1 November 2019:Thousands of protesters gather in central Baghdad to call for the downfall of the political elite.
6 November 2019:Clashes take place in Karbala, leaving two dead, a protester and a medic told AP.
9 November 2019:Three bridges are cleared of anti-government protesters by the Iraqi security forces, using tear gas and stun grenades, according to AP.
8 December 2019: Bloody attacks occur overnight in Baghdad’s central plaza, leaving 25 people dead and more than 130 wounded, according to AP.
16 December 2019: A teenager is killed and hung from a traffic pole in central Baghdad. Security officials announce the 16-year-old was wanted by the police.
28 December 2019:According to the Iraqi parliament’s human rights committee, at least 490 protesters have been killed in Baghdad since the beginning of protests.
19 January 2020:Anti-government protests resume in the capital, as Iraqi protesters demonstrate for new elections, a new voting law, and a new prime minister, according to AFP.
20 January 2020: Protesters clash with security forces, leaving two police officers dead and 14 protesters wounded.
According to Saudi state-owned Al-Arabiya, the three candidates for prime minister are intelligence chief Mustafa Al Kadhimi, communications minister Mohamed Tawfiq Allawi, and ex-planning minister and presidential adviser Ali Youssef Shokry.
According to statistics published by AFP, since the beginning of protests in Iraq on 1 October 2019, nearly 460 people were killed and over 25,000 wounded in the largest anti-government movement ever in Iraq.
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