TLTP
\nBAGHDAD
\nUnknown assailants have shot dead a prominent Iraqi protester and activist in Baghdad, according to media reports citing security, medical and other sources.
\nSalah al-Iraqi was well-known for his active role in the anti-government protests that erupted in Iraq\u2019s capital and the Shia-majority south last year, slamming the government as corrupt, inefficient and beholden to neighbouring Iran.
\nAl-Iraqi was killed on Tuesday in Baghdad\u2019s eastern al-Jadida district, according to a medic, a security source and the Iraqi Network for Social Media (INSM), a collection of activists who reported on the protests and their aftermath.
\nAll three sources confirmed to the AFP news agency that al-Iraqi died on his arrival at the nearby Sheikh Zayed hospital.
\nRudaw Media Network also reported the killing, citing a source who said al-Iraqi was shot by two attackers six times. Al-Jadida is a few kilometres from Tahrir Square, the epicentre of the protests from where al-Iraqi would broadcast live footage.
\nINSM said he had already been targeted twice before Tuesday\u2019s shooting.
\nIn his last post on Facebook on Tuesday afternoon, al-Iraqi had written: \u201cThe innocent die while the cowards rule.\u201d
\nNearly 600 people have lost their lives in protest-related violence since rallies began in October 2019, including young organisers who were shot dead.
\nPrime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, who came to power in May after street pressure forced the previous prime minister to resign, has pledged to protect rallies and arrest those responsible for past violence.
\nBut last week, eight local and international rights groups said they were worried about \u201cthe lack of accountability for the extrajudicial executions that have taken place this year, targeting individuals for their peaceful expression\u201d.
\nThe authorities\u2019 \u201cfailure\u201d to bring the perpetrators to justice was \u201cperpetuating and further entrenching decades of impunity that have left brave individuals without the most basic protection\u201d, the groups said, which included Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW).
\nHRW on Tuesday cited the recent case of Arshad Heibat Fakhry. The 31-year-old has not been heard from since he was detained by unidentified armed men in November.
\nThe New York-based rights group said al-Kadhimi\u2019s government \u201chas precious little to show for these promises, and disappearances have continued\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TLTP BAGHDAD Unknown assailants have shot dead a prominent Iraqi protester and activist in Baghdad, according to media reports citing security, medical and other sources. Salah al-Iraqi was well-known for his active role in the anti-government protests that erupted in Iraq\u2019s capital and the Shia-majority south last year, slamming the government as corrupt, inefficient and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-162547","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n