| 2011 Iraqi protests | |
|---|---|
| Part of theArab Spring and theprotests against the Iraq War | |
 | |
| Date | 12 February 2011 – 23 December 2011 (10 months, 1 week and 4 days)[1] |
| Location | |
| Caused by |
|
| Methods | Demonstrations,riots |
| Casualties | |
| Death(s) | 35 |
| Injuries | at least 296 |
The2011 Iraqi protests came in the wake of theTunisian revolution and2011 Egyptian revolution. They resulted in at least 35 deaths, including at least 29 on 25 February 2011, the "Day of Rage".
Several protests in March were against theSaudi-ledintervention in Bahrain.[2][3]
Protests also took place inIraqi Kurdistan, an autonomousKurdish region in Iraq's north, and lasted for 62 days.
In an effort to prevent potential unrest,IraqiPrime MinisterNouri al-Maliki announced that he will not run for a third term in 2014, and called for a constitutional term limit.[4]Nevertheless, hundreds of protesters gathered in several major Iraqi urban areas on 12 February (notably Baghdad and Karbala) demanding a more effective approach to the issue of national security and investigation into federal corruption cases, as well as government action towards making public services fair and accessible. In response, the government of Iraq subsidised electricity costs.
Israel'sHaaretz reported that a 31-year-old man inMosul died after he self-immolated in protest against unemployment.Haaretz also reported a planned "Revolution of Iraqi Rage" to be held on 25 February near theGreen Zone.[5]
Hundreds of protesters gathered in several major Iraqi urban areas, most notably inBaghdad andKarbala, demanding a more effective approach to the issue of national security and an investigation into federal corruption cases, as well as government action towards making public services fair and accessible.[6][7][8] In response, the government of Iraq subsidised electricity costs.[9]
On 16 February, up to 2,000 protesters took over a provincial council building in the city ofKut. The protesters demanded the provincial governor resign due to a lack of basic services such as electricity and water. Up to three people were reported killed and 30 injured.
On 17 February, two people were killed as protesters threw stones at the headquarters of theKurdistan Democratic Party, headed byMasoud Barzani, president of Iraq's semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region in Sulaimaniya, Iraqi Kurdistan.[10]
On 18 February, around a thousand demonstrators blockaded a bridge in Basra, demanding the resignation of the provincial governor.[11]
Lt. Gen.Abdul-Aziz Al-Kubaisi (Arabic:عبد العزيز الكبيسي) resigned from his post as the Director General at the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, gave up his military rank, and removed it from his shoulders on television.[12] Following this step, he was arrested by security forces. Al Kubaisi described the Iraqi government as corrupt and called on all officers to declare their resignation and join the demonstrators, who are planning a demonstration on 25 February.[12]
Three officers, including one colonel, responded to this call and announced their resignations. Uday Zaidi, who has previously organized protests, revealed that these officers have joined the demonstrations. Zaidi toldAl Jazeera that 37 personnel from the Ministry of Interior have also resigned and joined the crowds of demonstrators.[12]
On 24 February,Muntadhar al-Zaidi, an Iraqi journalist famous for the 2008 shoeing incident, was arrested for allegedly taking part in the protests. Al-Zaidi is popular in Iraq for what Iraqis see as his act of defiance.[13]
Major protests were held throughout Iraq on 25 February, centering on the nation's high unemployment, corruption, and poor public services.[14] During the protests, crowds stormed provincial buildings, in addition tojailbreaking prisoners and forcing local officials to resign. At least twenty-nine people were killed across the country as a result of protests on this day, though thedeadliest protests took place inIraqi Kurdistan.[15][16][17]
Protests were diminished from the 25 February "Day of Rage," due to the deaths that resulted during it. Hundreds were detained by Iraqi security forces, includingjournalists, artists, andintellectuals. One of the artists that was arrested, Hussam al-Ssair, later stated that "It was like they were dealing with a bunch ofal-Qaeda operatives, not a group of journalists."[17]
New protests arose at Baghdad and Basra against theSaudi-led intervention in Bahrain.[2]
AtKerbela about 3,000 people demonstrated against Saudi Arabia.[18] Nouri al-Maliki criticized the Saudi intervention.[19]
Beginning on 9 April 2011, the 8th anniversary of the fall of Saddam Hussein, the protests escalated with thousands protesting in Baghdad'sTahrir Square (Liberation Square) and all over the country.[20][21] The protests extended to anger at theUS occupation, and culminated on 26 May 2011 with a demonstration organized byMuqtada al-Sadr. Reports of participants vary from 100 thousand (Iraq's officialAl Sabaah)[22] to half a million people (Baghdad's independentNew Sabah[ar]).[23] (The highest figures are not unlikely, as similar protests by Muqtada al-Sadr have drawn up to a million people, as in 2007[24] and 2012.[25])
About 400 protesters converged on Tahrir Square inBaghdad after Prime MinisterNouri al-Maliki's deadline for reform expired.[26]
Dozens protested in Tahrir Square, calling for Oil MinisterKarim Luaibi to be fired, a planned port named for ex-President ofEgyptHosni Mubarak to be scrapped, andpolitical prisoners to be released.[27]
The2011 Duhuk riots refers to riots byMuslimKurds on 2 December 2011 which were instigated byFriday prayers' sermons calling forJihad against liquor stores and massage parlours inZakho in theDohuk Governorate,Iraq. The riots soon developed to looting and burning down ofAssyrian andYazidi-owned properties in other towns in Iraqi Kurdistan over the next couple of days.
In response to the initial round of protests, Prime MinisterNouri al-Maliki said that his ministers who do not improve their ministries face dismissal. An MP also called for provincial elections to be brought forward by two years.
