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UN: Deadly Iraq Protests Risk Spiraling Out of Control

Lisa Schlein

   GENEVA - A U.N. agency is urging the Iraqi government to address the
   grievances of its people or risk that the ongoing deadly protests
   across the country could spiral even further out of control.

   Since anti-government protests began Oct. 1, the U.N. Human Rights
   Office has documented 269 deaths and at least 8,000 injuries, including
   among members of the Iraqi security forces. The agency blames the
   majority of these casualties on the use of live ammunition by security
   forces and private armed militia groups.

   U.N. human rights spokesman Rupert Colville says his agency also is
   following up on reports of multiple arrests of demonstrators and
   activists. He says protesters and volunteers providing assistance
   during the demonstrations reportedly have been abducted by unknown
   perpetrators.

   "We are also disturbed by the statement by the High Judicial Council in
   Iraq that the Federal Anti-terrorism Law would be applicable against
   those resorting to violence, sabotaging public property and using
   firearms against security forces. Our concern is centered on the fact
   that these are acts of terrorism, which may be punishable by death,"
   Colville said.

   The agency is calling on the government to investigate the whereabouts
   of the people who have gone missing, to promptly investigate the
   killings and to prosecute all those responsible for these crimes.

   Colville says tensions are running very high. He says the relatives and
   friends of people who have been killed, abducted and otherwise abused
   are angry. Unless their grievances are resolved, he told VOA. He said
   the protests and violence in the country could spiral out of control.

   "The way the security forces are reacting because they are not abiding
   by the kind of guidelines set down internationally, which are very much
   designed not only to save life and stop injuries, but exactly this--to
   stop tension [from] getting extreme because of deaths. It is a sort of
   vicious circle of people getting killed and injured. That's leading to
   more anger and more demonstrations, more deaths, more injuries and so
   on. And we are in that cycle in Iraq," Colville said.

   To get out of this deteriorating cycle, Colville said the Iraqi
   authorities must control the security forces and engage in a meaningful
   dialogue with the public. He said the government must listen and take
   stock of its many grievances and work with civil society to reach a
   sustainable resolution.