Protesters have burned tyres and blocked roads in the Iraqi city of Karbala after a prominent civil activist was killed by unknown gunmen.
Ihab Jawad Al-Wazni was killed in the early hours of Sunday near his home in the predominantly Shia city, according to a statement by the Iraqi defence ministry. No group claimed responsibility.
Al-Wazni, a leading figure in protests against the government in the city, was buried on Sunday morning.
Witnesses said hundreds of people took to the streets in Karbala in demonstrations condemning the activist’s assassination.
Protesters blocked a number of main roads in the city and demanded security forces find and identify al-Wazni’s killers, and threatened to escalate protests if the perpetrators were not exposed.
“The killer parties are well known. Today all Iraqis even kids know which party is carrying out the killings. It is armed militias supported by regional countries and the whole world knows who it is,” said Zeid al-Sumeri, a protester from Karbala.
The killing of al-Wazni is seen by Iraqis as a message by militias affiliated with political parties that they will not back down from criticism.
Source: Aljazeera.com
The post Activist’s killing triggers protests in Iraq’s Karbala appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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