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Intel: Murder of another Iraqi activist sparks new wave of demonstrations

The death of a woman activist follows a string of recent assassinations and kidnappings and has reignited mass protests in Iraq demanding an end to violence and corruption.
TOPSHOT - Iraqi demonstrators gather amid smoke after fire services extinguished fire on tires during a protest near the governor's residence in the southern city of Basra, to oppose  assassinations and demand the resignation of top security officials in the southern Iraqi governorate, on August 17, 2020. (Photo by Hussein FALEH / AFP) (Photo by HUSSEIN FALEH/AFP via Getty Images)

Riham Yacoub was a nutritionist who ran a women’s gym in the south of Basra. She was also a staunch activist against corruption in the government, leading women’s marches in her city as early as 2018, a year before mass demonstrations would erupt across the country. 

On Wednesday, Yacoub was assassinated when gunmen on the back of a motorcycle opened fire on her car. Three of her companions were also injured and one later died. 

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