Sixty-six Iraqi security officers have faced trial over the excessive use of force in dispersing protesters, the government spokesman, Saad Hadisi, said amid unrest in the Middle Eastern country.
The spokesman said live on Al Arabiya on Thursday that “1,600 demonstrators arrested for participating in protests have been released and 66 security officers faced trial.”
The mass anti-government demonstrations have been underway in Iraq’s capital of Baghdad and several southern areas since October. They have often turned violent and protesters condemned the government forces for attacking them, including with the use of live ammunition.
The UN Human Rights Council said last week that at least 269 people had been killed in the protests.
Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said that he would carry out a cabinet reshuffle and introduce changes to election laws. Mahdi said that the government’s resignation, demanded by protesters, would throw the country in chaos.
More than 60 Iraqi security officers on trial over use of force against protesters – Gov’t
