Mourners carry a mock coffin for an Iraqi demonstrator, who was killed during ongoing anti-government protests, at a symbolic funeral in Baghdad, Iraq January 21, 2020. (Photo: Reuters)
At least 10 protesters were killed in Iraq on Monday and Tuesday, the country's semi-official human rights commission said on Tuesday evening.
Another 88 people were arrested as protesters blocked main roads in the capital Baghdad, as well as in Basra and Nassirieh.
Clashes erupted for the third consecutive day in Baghdad's Aviation Square and in a number of southern cities, including Basra, Karbala, and Najaf. The protesters, mostly young men, threw stones and Molotov cocktails at the police, who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets.
In a speech during a parliamentary session, the caretaker Prime Minister, Adil Abdul Mahdi, said that his country is in a complex regional and international situation, pointing out that the state is in an embarrassing situation with its "citizens and other countries."
Abdul Mahdi also stressed that the security forces do not want to enter into contexts where violence is used.
