Iraq: Hundreds rally in Baghdad demanding reforms
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 17 April 2016 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Iraq: Hundreds rally in Baghdad demanding reforms, 17 April 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57690020e.html [accessed 30 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
April 17, 2016
Several hundred Shi'ite demonstrators have rallied in central Baghdad to call for reforms.
The protesters gathered at Tahrir Square on April 17, chanting, "Yes, yes to Iraq; no, no to corruption."
The rally comes after powerful Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr threatened to call mass protests if lawmakers failed to vote in "a cabinet of independent technocrats" by April 19.
Last month, Sadr organized a two-week sit-in in March outside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, where the government is headquartered.
Iraq has been hit by weeks of political turmoil surrounding Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi's efforts to replace the cabinet of party-affiliated ministers with a government of technocrats.
Abadi has said the turmoil could threaten the campaign against the Islamic State group, which controls large swathes of territory in the country's north and west.
Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
