{"id":59683,"date":"2020-01-24T16:12:02","date_gmt":"2020-01-24T08:12:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.namnewsnetwork.org\/?p=59683"},"modified":"2020-01-24T16:12:04","modified_gmt":"2020-01-24T08:12:04","slug":"iraq-protester-gunned-down-in-second-night-of-violence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/?p=59683","title":{"rendered":"Iraq protester gunned down in second night of violence"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img src=\"https:\/\/media.malaymail.com\/uploads\/articles\/2020\/2020-01\/reuters_iraq_protests_flag_20200123.JPG\" alt=\"A demonstrator carries an Iraqi flag during ongoing anti-government protests in Nassiriya January 22, 2020. \u2014 Reuters pic\"\/><figcaption>A demonstrator carries an Iraqi flag during ongoing anti-government protests <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>BASRA, Jan 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) &#8212;\u00a0An Iraqi demonstrator was shot dead in the southern city of Basra overnight, a security source and the human rights commission said, the latest in a string of protester deaths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The anti-government demonstrations rocking the Iraqi capital and the Shiite-majority south since October had abated in recent weeks amid spiralling tensions between Iraq&#8217;s key allies, the United States and Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To recapture momentum and boost pressure on authorities, protesters this week began shutting down roads across the country &#8211;&nbsp;but violence against them has escalated, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The young demonstrator was shot dead by unidentified assailants after he left the main protest camp in Basra, a security source said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He had no papers on his person and police were waiting for someone to identify the body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was the second straight night a protester was gunned down in Basra. Female activist and paramedic Janat Madhi, 49, was killed the same way late on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The deaths bring this week&#8217;s toll to 12 demonstrators killed, according to the Iraqi Human Rights Commission, a state-funded monitor which reports on protest violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Four people were killed in Baghdad, one in Diyala, two in Karbala and five in Basra, including the latest two killings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Violence against demonstrators is clearly ongoing,&#8221; commission member Ali Bayati said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The unknown armed groups targeting protesters show that security forces are unable to protect citizens,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Demonstrators have accused authorities of implementing a double standard, swiftly arresting anyone blocking roads with burning tyres while failing to apprehend those who have kidnapped and killed dozens of activists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hundreds of students gathered in Basra on Thursday morning to protest against the killings, chanting and holding up signs saying &#8220;Give us a country.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This week&#8217;s violence brings to 470 the overall death toll since protests erupted in October, according to tally of reports from medical or security sources and the Human Rights Commission. &#8212; NNN-AGENCIES<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BASRA, Jan 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) &#8212;\u00a0An Iraqi demonstrator was shot dead in the southern city of Basra overnight, a security source and the human rights commission said, the latest in a string of protester deaths. The anti-government demonstrations rocking the Iraqi capital and the Shiite-majority south since October had abated in recent weeks amid spiralling tensions [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[217],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59683"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=59683"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59683\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=59683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=59683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=59683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}