Baghdad-Sana
Iraqi President Barham Saleh called for restraint and respect for the law during demonstrations in a number of Iraqi provinces.
Saleh said in a tweet carried by Alsumaria News that "peaceful demonstration is a constitutional right guaranteed to citizens," noting that "security forces are charged with protecting the rights of citizens and maintaining public security."
"Our young Iraqi children are looking for reform and job opportunities and our duty to meet these legitimate entitlements," Saleh said.
For his part, Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi issued a statement on the demonstrations witnessed in a number of provinces, including Baghdad, saying, "We assure the Iraqi people that our priorities were and will remain focused on achieving their legitimate aspirations and responding to every fair demand of our citizens." One of the problems accumulated decades ago and we began to see the desired results and we continue to work to achieve them and we are still on our pledge to our people in our ministerial curriculum in all sincerity and responsibility.
"We do not distinguish between demonstrators exercising their constitutional right to peaceful demonstration from the members of the security forces," he said. "We clearly distinguish between our victims, both peaceful demonstrators and our security forces, from non-peaceful aggressors who raise slogans punishable by law threatening the regime." They deliberately caused the deaths of innocent demonstrators and our security forces who were attacked by knives or burned by bombs. ”
The Iraqi government announced the death of a demonstrator and the injury of 160 others in addition to 40 members of the security forces during demonstrations yesterday in the capital Baghdad and a number of Iraqi provinces, expressing regret for the accompanying demonstrations of violence by a group of rioters.