Mass protests broke out in early July in Basra, the city in southern Iraq central to oil production, and soon spread to other provinces. Protests were sparked by high unemployment, poor public services and corruption. There is increasing outrage that huge amounts of oil wealth are extracted from the country while people live in poverty.
Protestors demanded that the government provide them with water, electricity, and other essential services, reject the current confessional political system and demand a representative national government.
However, the protests were brutally suppressed by the security forces, with 13 people killed and 81 arrested. The government cut off access to the Internet, which has made it difficult for Iraqi activists to spread news of the situation.
Iraqi unions, which were part of the protests, play a crucial role in the uprising against corruption and poor services that is sweeping Iraq. Following the brutal repression, unions issued a statement condemning violence against protestors and calling on the government to meet protestors’ demands.
