Iraq will form parliamentary committee to investigate clashes

Tensions escalated between Iraqi Shiite leaders, as the number of deaths among the demonstrators, loyal to Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr, who participated in the protests witnessed in Baghdad on Saturday increased.
Speaker of Iraqi parliament Salim al-Jabouri called for the formation of a parliamentary committee to investigate the incidents that led to the killing of dozens of citizens during the protests, expressing his sorrow for their death. He stressed that the demonstration is a legal right through which the people express their protest or demand their rights.
He stressed, in a press statement, the need for protecting the demonstrators and dealing peacefully with the peaceful demonstration. He added, “The House of Representatives supported the calls to achieve reform and the measures to achieve this objective as soon as possible through passing a package of laws during the recent months.”
There were conflicting reports over the number of victims, as Baghdad’s Operations leadership announced the killing of one police officer and the injury of seven others, while Baghdad’s Governor Ali Al Tamimi said that four demonstrators were killed and 320 were injured.
On his hand, Iraqi President Fouad Massoum called the different parties for calm and restraint, expressing condolences for the victims killed during the protests in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square. He called for changing the elections law and the members of High Electoral Commission in response to the demands raised during Saturday’s demonstrations.
He demanded also the Iraqi government for conducting investigations over the incidents witnessed in the Iraqi capital during the demonstrations, stressing the need for taking punitive actions against those people who fueled the position.
In the same context, Iraqi National Coalition, headed by Ammar Al Hakim, called the government for accelerating the measures to investigate the clashes erupted during the recent protests between the demonstrators and security forces.
The statement came during the rotating meeting of the coalition’s political authority to discuss the recent developments witnessed in Iraq and the region.
Iraqi National Coalition’s political authority discussed during the meeting the current intensive preparations for liberating the rest of Mousl, stressing the need for paying attention to the challenges expected to face the country in the phase following ISIS elimination, including the security and terrorist threats.
The meeting also discussed the repercussions of their recent visit to Kurdistan and the possibilities to end the current differences through the dialogue and the rule of law. The coming elections were one the issues that have been discussed during the meeting and the ways to ensure the integrity of the process.
On the other hand, Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr issued a statement lamenting the death of a number of his supporters during the recent demonstrations. He promised to retaliate against those who killed them with what he described as “strong response”.
Sadr stressed the need for changing the members of Iraq’s High Electoral Commission, saying that its current members are known of their loyalty to former Prime Minister Nuri Al Maleki who failed before to contain the advance of extremist ISIS group in the Iraqi city.
In the same context, Director General of Dawa Party Faek Sheikh Ali accused the former prime minister of inciting his followers to suppress the demonstration with their weapons, saying that he is the only beneficiary of keeping the members of the commission.