Iraqi government responds to protests by digging in
After nearly two months of protests in Iraq, the government is using excessive force on demonstrators and not giving in to their demands.
Even as the death toll from recent protests rises, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi assured world and regional leaders that the situation in Iraq is under control. The government, he said, is committed to human rights and to protecting the protesters.
During a visit to Iraq, US Vice President Mike Pence said Nov. 23 that Abdul Mahdi “assured me that they were working to avoid violence or the kind of oppression we see taking place, even as we speak, in Iran.”
“He pledged to me that they would work to protect and respect peaceful protesters as … part of the democratic process here in Iraq,” Pence added.
During several phone calls in the last few days, Abdul Mahdi assured Qatar Emir Tamim bin Hamad, Kuwait Emir Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah and Jordanian Prime Minister Omar Razzaz that the Iraqi government is committed to protecting the protesters and avoiding the use of violence against them.
