Iraqi security forces resorted yet
again to excessive and unlawful lethal force to disperse crowds of
largely peaceful protesters in the southern city of Karbala last night,
said Amnesty International, after at least 14 protesters were reported
killed and more than 100 injured.
Evidence gathered from eyewitnesses
and verified geo-located video footage indicates that Iraqi security
forces and anti-riot police opened fire using live ammunition as well as
tear gas, chasing peaceful protesters staging a sit-in at the Tarbiya
roundabout on 28 October. Witnesses also said security forces attempted
to run them over with vehicles.
“In horrific scenes from Karbala
last night, Iraqi forces opened live fire on peaceful protesters and
resorted to excessive and often lethal force to disperse them in a
reckless and utterly unlawful manner. These scenes are all the more
shocking as they come despite assurances from Iraqi authorities that
there would be no repeat of the extreme violence used against
demonstrators during protests earlier this month,” said Lynn Maalouf,
Middle East Research Director at Amnesty International.
“According to international law,
security forces should refrain from the use of firearms unless there is
an imminent threat of death or serious injury and there is no suitable
alternative available. Eyewitness accounts clearly suggest that was not
the case. Iraqi authorities must immediately rein in security forces to
prevent further bloodshed.”
A second wave of protests erupted on
24 October in Baghdad and other governorates across Iraq including
Diwaniya, Thi Qar, Basra, Karbala, Najaf, Maysan and Babel. According to
the Independent High Commission for Human Rights in Iraq, at least 77
protesters have been killed and 3,654 injured in this latest round of
protests.
One eyewitness present during
protests in Karbala last night told Amnesty International that security
forces had attempted to chase away protesters using tear gas and batons
on previous days, but that the violence used last night was far more
extreme.
“Security forces opened fire on the
protesters they were chasing. There was a black four-wheel drive that
started to drive towards the roundabout and attempted to run over the
protesters. It was complete horror. There were women and children. The
children were screaming. The security forces dispersed everyone and
started chasing them into the side streets,” he said.
A doctor at al-Hussein hospital in
Karbala interviewed by Amnesty International said protesters arrived at
the emergency room last night with shrapnel and gunshot wounds including
in the leg, stomach, eye and head. The doctor added that they had also
received several protesters injured due to beatings in recent days and
that on 27 October security forces in plainclothes had visited the
hospital and arrested around 50 people suspected of participating in
protests.
“They arrested a lot of people from
the hospital… They even took children. One of the protesters they took
was 14 years old,” the doctor said.
Another eyewitness told Amnesty
International that at first, army officers had verbally warned
protesters not to cross the gate to the government buildings near the
roundabout where protesters have gathered since 24 October. Some of the
protesters ignored the warnings and approached the area but were driven
back by tear gas and sound grenades.
“They used a lot of tear gas. Even
the army was suffocating and started leaving. When the army left, the
protesters started burning tyres and trash,” he said, adding that
protesters began to throw stones in response.
“Around 8pm they started using live ammunition to disperse us. At first it was a little, then it started increasing,” he added.
The eyewitness said that at around
11pm anti-riot police cars began charging towards the peaceful
protesters, attempting to run them over. He said the tactic of using
cars to run over protesters was also used in protests over the weekend.
Another protester said he was
attending the largely peaceful protest when he heard gunshots coming
from the area near the government buildings. He described how security
forces dressed in black were chasing protesters.
“There were about seven to 10 cars
driving fast towards us and the men inside were shooting in the air to
scare people. We all started retreating… protesters and the army were
injured alike. These other forces started catching people and beating
them, even young boys. They beat them so savagely. They grabbed me and
started hitting me on my head…. The live fire was non-stop. It was
complete horror. There were children as young as 12 among the
protesters.”
One protester who was arrested in
Karbala on 28 October described the appalling detention conditions at
the anti-crime station inside a complex of government buildings.
“There was blood all over the walls.
There were boys who were under the age of 18. We heard screams from the
other room,” he said, adding that he saw at least one child bleeding
heavily from the mouth after being kicked in the face and another young
man with similar wounds denied medical care.
“Iraqi forces must order an
independent impartial investigation into events last night in Karbala
and ensure all those responsible are held accountable for their
actions,” said Lynn Maalouf.
Amnesty International is also
calling on Iraqi authorities to end arbitrary arrests and lift the
curfews imposed in several areas in the country, including Karbala.
