BASRA: Iraqi security forces arrested at least five men from a local political party’s headquarters in the southern city of Basra Monday after a protester was shot dead outside the building. It was the first death since modest anti-government protests resumed on Sunday, ending months of relative calm just as new Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhemi was sworn in. Kadhemi has extended a hand to demonstrators and promised accountability for the more than 550 people killed in violence at anti-government rallies…

 After releasing anti-government protesters from jail, new Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi announced Monday he would bring to justice those who attacked them. Kadhimi, Iraq's former intelligence head, said he responded to weekend attacks on protesters in the Basra region with warrants and arrests. Internet videos showed that armed men fired down from a building in Basra on protesters Sunday, killing one and wounding others, the news agency Rudaw reported. "I ordered today a dawn military raid to arrest everyone involved…

Iraq’s new prime minister made a significant gesture towards the country’s protest movement on Sunday as the country’s judiciary ordered courts to release all protesters held in prison. In a briefing on Saturday, he vowed to ensure their release, except those involved in violence, and announced the opening of an investigation into anti-government rallies that have descended into violence since October so the families of those killed while protesting can be compensated. The Supreme Judiciary Council said in a statement…

Anti-government rallies resumed in some Iraqi cities on Sunday, clashing with security forces and ending months of relative calm just days after Prime Minister Mustafa al Kazimi's government came to power. The protests first erupted in Baghdad and southern cities in October, demanding an end to corruption and unemployment and an overhaul of the ruling class. But internal splits, a rise in US-Iran tensions and a lockdown imposed by coronavirus effectively snuffed out the movement earlier this year, leaving a…

Iraqis have expressed their hope that the new Iraqi government headed by Mustafa Al-kadhemi will correct the political path in the Levantine country, answer to the demands of protestors, and fight corruption that has drained national resources. Many said they were cautiously optimistic towards the government winning the confidence vote and its ability to face the great challenges that beset Iraq. Some of the challenges faced by Iraq are the outbreak of the coronavirus, the collapse of oil prices in…

Iraq’s judiciary has been under pressure to exonerate corrupt politicians being investigated for embezzlement and abuse of power, the spokesperson for the Supreme Judicial Council said yesterday. Judge Abdul Sattar Bayrakdar said while the judiciary is taking serious steps to fight corruption and hold embezzlers to account, including some politicians and ministers, they have launched social media campaigns through their allies residing outside of Iraq to accuse Iraqi courts of persecuting them for political reasons. He explained that the “corrupt…

Baghdad - Fadhel al-Nashmi Iraqi anti-government protesters are gearing up for a demonstration next week to press ahead with their demands despite the coronavirus outbreak. Iraqi activists told Asharq Al-Awsat that the pandemic has lately had a negative impact on their street protests despite their many successes, including the resignation of Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi and the parliament’s vote on an electoral law. Protest groups in Baghdad, Babil and Nassiriyah are now calling for rallies to draw one million…

Five companies and 15 individuals sanctioned for transferring arms to Iran-backed armed groups The United States Treasury Department rolled out new sanctions against Iran on Thursday as Washington sticks to its guns on the maximum pressure policy on Tehran. The restrictions target five Iran and Iraq-based enterprises and 15 individuals over their support to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and its elite Quds force, both designated by the US as terror groups. They are also accused of having transferred weapons to…

Iraq’s prime minister-designate Mustafa Al Kadhimi proposes to restrict access to weapons, curb corruption and hold early elections under a plan presented to Parliament, whose approval he needs to get the job. Mr Al Kadhimi, a former intelligence chief who does not belong to any party, is struggling to gain support among Iraq’s political factions before the May 9 deadline for his nomination to be confirmed by Parliament. President Barham Salih tipped Mr Al Kadhimi for the post in early…

Iraqi leaders need to cast aside the country's sectarian quota system and make compromises to ease the formation of a government and rebuild Baghdad's relationship with Washington, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says. Speaking at a news conference at the State Department in Washington DC on Wednesday, Pompeo said the United States was watching closely as Mustafa al-Kadhimi, the Iraqi prime minister-designate, entered the third week of trying to form his government. Earlier this month, Iraq's president named intelligence chief…