Iraq Forms Committee to List Victims of Violence at Protests

Iraqi protesters raise national flags as they clash with security forces on Al-Jumhuriyah bridge in the capital Baghdad. AFP file photo
Iraqi protesters raise national flags as they clash with security forces on Al-Jumhuriyah bridge in the capital Baghdad. AFP file photo
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Iraq Forms Committee to List Victims of Violence at Protests

Iraqi protesters raise national flags as they clash with security forces on Al-Jumhuriyah bridge in the capital Baghdad. AFP file photo
Iraqi protesters raise national flags as they clash with security forces on Al-Jumhuriyah bridge in the capital Baghdad. AFP file photo

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi has thanked the Higher Judicial Council for releasing activists and lawyers from the southern Diwaniyah and Wasit governorates.

“I thank the Higher Judicial Council for setting free lawyers and protestors arrested today in Diwaniyah and Kut,” Kadhimi tweeted Tuesday.

“The right to peaceful protest is constitutionally guaranteed. Security forces and demonstrators are responsible for protecting public and private property,” he added.

Kadhimi’s praise follows Iraqi authorities forming a committee tasked with preparing an accurate list of names of those who were killed, wounded and disabled during popular protests. The list is expected to include security men as well as protesters.

"The planned list will cover the period from October 1, 2019 to May 18, and it will be published in the media, and it will be adopted as a basis for honoring the martyrs and compensating the families of the victims," a statement from Kadhimi’s office said.

It said that Kadhimi "entrusted a specialized committee linked to his office with the task of preparing this list in cooperation with various state institutions and Iraqi and international organizations so as to ensure the accuracy of the information contained therein."

This list, if completed, is considered the first official Iraqi effort to document victims of the protests and fulfills one of the pledges made by Kadhimi’s cabinet.

Many, however, remain unsure about measures taken by Kadhimi’s government and its ability to hold perpetrators of violence accountable.

On Monday night, confrontations erupted between security forces and demonstrators, which resulted in the arrest of four protesters from Diwaniyah, including two lawyers who are facing court charges related to encouraging masses to stage demonstrations.



Drone Attack Targets Tawke Oilfield in Iraq's Kurdistan

General view of the Sarsang oilfield operated by HKN Energy, after a drone attack, in Duhok province, Iraq, July 17, 2025. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari
General view of the Sarsang oilfield operated by HKN Energy, after a drone attack, in Duhok province, Iraq, July 17, 2025. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari
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Drone Attack Targets Tawke Oilfield in Iraq's Kurdistan

General view of the Sarsang oilfield operated by HKN Energy, after a drone attack, in Duhok province, Iraq, July 17, 2025. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari
General view of the Sarsang oilfield operated by HKN Energy, after a drone attack, in Duhok province, Iraq, July 17, 2025. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari

A drone attack targeted an oilfield operated by Norwegian oil and gas firm DNO in Tawke, in the Zakho Administration area of northern Iraq, on Thursday, the Kurdistan region's counter-terrorism service said.

The attack is the second on the DNO-operated field since a wave of drone attacks began early this week.

DNO, which operates the Tawke and Peshkabour oilfields in the Zakho area that borders Türkiye, temporarily suspended production at the fields following explosions that caused no injuries, the counter-terrorism service said.

DNO did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

This week's drone attacks have reduced oil output from oilfields in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region by between 140,000 to 150,000 barrels per day, two energy officials said on Wednesday, as infrastructure damage forced multiple shutdowns.