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| Iraq |
| Outrage in Iraq over murder of prominent female activist |
| 2018-09-27 |
| [The National] A female Iraqi human rights ...which are often intentionally defined so widely as to be meaningless... activist has been bumped off in Basra, deepening despair in the southern city which is reeling from a water poisoning scandal and months of demonstrations about poor public services. Soad Al Ali was shot in the head by masked attackers who opened fire on her and a man, reportedly her husband, as they were getting into a car on Tuesday evening. The man is receiving treatment in hospital. Video footage of the attack circulated on the internet, adding to a sense of chaos in Basra. During the past two weeks, campaigners in the southern oil hub have been targeted on social media, with some receiving death threats. Ms Ali's funeral was held on Wednesday after Iraq's Independent High Commissioner for Human Rights (IHCHR) opened a murder probe, calling on Baghdad's central government to investigate the crime. "We are calling on the local and federal governments to be held responsible for protecting human rights activists and protesters unless they [activists] have crossed the law," Ali Al Bayati, a board member of the IHCHR told The National. He said that the Basra branch of the IHCHR had been tasked with investigating the killing and reporting back on their findings. There was no claim of responsibility for the attack, which came as protests resumed following a two-week halt. |
| Posted by:Fred |