Nineveh authorities ban public protest in Iraq

The Nineveh Operations Command [OC] closed down Ahrar Square in downtown Mosul, in an attempt to bar anti-government protestors, a source told Arabstoday. The OC reportedly imposed a localised curfew and closed shops to prevent demonstrators from gathering in public. Local authorities reportedly took the steps after no official permit had been granted to the demonstration, a source inside Nineveh police command told Arabstoday. The Governor of Nineveh Atheel al-Nujaifi meanwhile claimed demonstrators had been given official permits by provincial authorities, calling the ban “illegal.” Ahrar Square was later reopened and demonstrators were allowed entry. The Iraqi provinces of Anbar, Nineveh and Saladdin have seen mass demonstrations since December 25 attended by clerics, tribal chiefs and officials including Nineveh Governor Atheel al-Nujaifi and Finance Minister Raffi al-Issawi. The protests demand the release of female and political prisoners, a change in governmental direction and the prosecution of those accused of sexually assaulting female prisoners.