Iraqis must enjoy the freedom of expression and stop the lethal use of force against the

The US ambassador to the United Nations, Kelly Kraft, on Tuesday (December 3, 2019) stressed the importance of Iraqis to enjoy freedom of expression and stop the use of lethal force against them.

"There are international mandates for an inclusive community dialogue in Iraq," Kraft said in a speech to the UN Security Council, calling on Iraq's leaders to consider the roadmap put forward by UN representative Henin Blachart.

"Iraqis of all faiths went out to demonstrate and called for a country free of corruption," she said, stressing that "Iraqis must enjoy freedom of expression and stop using lethal force against them."

"It is the primary responsibility of the State to protect its representatives."

While expressing concern over "the use of lethal force," she condemned the "violence that has taken place in the demonstrations" and called on the government to "exercise maximum restraint."

"Iraq's neighbors should not interfere in its internal affairs," she said. "We will make every effort to help Iraq."

Prior to that, the UN representative, Jenin Blachart, said that the Iraqi youth were leading the protests away from partisan interests and the authorities had used excessive force.

"The current situation in Iraq carries accumulations and there is a great sense of frustration," she said. "Iraqi youth are leading protests away from partisan interests and the authorities have used excessive force."

There were "unidentified gunmen firing at the protesters," she said, adding that "live fire was continuing."

She warned that "the closure of the media and the Internet suggests that the Iraqi authorities want to hide something," noting that "the majority of peaceful demonstrators and the state is responsible for the protection of its people."

"The current situation is a major challenge for the government," she added. "We have heard many promises to fight corruption in Iraq without progress."

She suggested "initiatives to make the dialogue a success," but "the protesters require an end to the killings."

"We have proposed initiatives to make the dialogue a success, but the protesters require an end to the killings," she said. "There is a collective responsibility for what is happening in Iraq for all those in power, not just the government. We have heard many promises to fight corruption in Iraq without progress."

Since 25 October, demonstrations and protests have spread across the capital, Baghdad, and a number of central and southern provinces, including cut off roads, the burning of several party headquarters belonging to armed factions, and clashes between demonstrators and security forces that killed about 400 people and wounded more than 13 thousand, in the ranks The parties.

The demonstrations, complementary to the one that preceded them more than three weeks ago, called for ministerial and constitutional reforms, early elections, and the disclosure of the cause of the killing of demonstrators.

Article Credit: https://baghdadtoday.news/
Special Thanks to Charles Bright!!