Ambassadors Of Eu, US And Canada Condemn The Excessive Violence Against Peaceful Iraqi Demonstrators

Baghdad:

14 European countries, the United States of America and Canada have condemned the excessive and deadly violence used by the security forces against peaceful demonstrators.

They stated a joint statement issued by the British embassy, saying: We condemn the excessive and deadly use of force by Iraqi security forces and some armed factions against peaceful demonstrators since January 24 in Baghdad, Nasiriyah and Basra.

They added : despite the guarantees provided by the government, the security forces and some armed factions continue to use live ammunition in these places, killing and wounding many civilians, while some protesters are subjected to intimidation and kidnapping.

They called on the government to respect the freedoms of the assembly and the right to peaceful protest as stipulated in the Iraqi constitution and to ensure reliable investigations and accountability regarding more than 500 deaths and thousands of wounded protesters since the first of last October. Calling on all demonstrators to preserve the peaceful nature of the protest movement