In a joint statement after a meeting on Dec. 7, between Iraqi caretaker prime minister Adel Abdul Mahdi and the ambassadors of Britain, France, and Germany, the European ambassadors condemned the "the terrible crime" against Iraqi demonstrators, urging Abdul Mahdi to "arrest the perpetrators and bring them to trial as well as working accurately in order to these types of crimes must never again be allowed to occur".

However, as the government fails in taking action against the perpetrators, calls for international prosecution rises significantly.

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi and others are threatening to seek international prosecution against officials they believe are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of protesters unless the Iraqi government takes action.

Allawi’s threats come after more than 400 protesters were killed in less than two months and about 16,000 were wounded. Since Oct. 12, the Iraqi Bar Association has received complaints from individuals who say they have been abused during the protests and are seeking to file suit against Iraqi security forces.