Iraqi Demonstrators Return to the Streets to Call for Ending Corruption | Democracy Now!

16.7.16

Iraqi Demonstrators Return to the Streets to Call for Ending Corruption | Democracy Now!: Tens of thousands of Iraqis have defied a ban on demonstrations and gathered in Baghdad to demand governmental reforms. The demonstrations were called for by Muqtada al-Sadr, a popular cleric and politician. Sadr’s supporters have held regular demonstrations in Baghdad and other parts of the country for months. In April, they overran the Green Zone, a heavily fortified neighborhood in central Baghdad that is home to the country’s Parliament and strictly off limits to most Iraqis. A second attempt to enter the Green Zone in May ended when troops opened fire on demonstrators. In 2015, Transparency International said the U.S.-backed Iraqi government was one of the 10 most corrupt in the world.