Basra: MP’s guard faces arrest after opening fire on protesters

Shafaq News – Basra (Updated at 18:30)

Iraq's Basra Police Command issued on Sunday an arrest warrant for a member of a lawmaker’s security detail who was seen firing a handgun during a protest in the province.

Earlier today, gunmen opened fire near a group of unemployed university graduates demonstrating for job opportunities in front of the Basra Oil Company gates, a police source in Iraq’s southernmost province told Shafaq News.

Videos circulated on social media showed a group of armed men in black clothing exiting a black government-registered SUV before firing shots over the heads of protesters. A similar vehicle was seen attempting to run over demonstrators. Both vehicles left the scene.

Hassan al-Shawi, a representative of the protesters, told Shafaq News that the group has been demonstrating for over seven months without receiving a visit or response from any official. “When they saw a vehicle belonging to a government official or member of parliament, they called on him to get out and speak with them. Instead, his security detail opened fire,” al-Shawi said, adding that “one of the bullets nearly hit us, and one protester sustained minor bruises after nearly being run over.”

Basra Security Committee Chairman Aqil al-Furaiji described the incident as “a clear security breach,” noting that the protest had been ongoing under the protection of security forces and had not previously experienced violence.

Meanwhile, Basra’s Human Rights Commission office called for an immediate investigation into what it described as a random shooting targeting peaceful demonstrators.