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Iraqs top Shiite Muslim cleric on Friday condemned attacks on protesters and urged lawmakers to reconsider their support for the government, an apparent suggestion that they seek a change of leadership as violence spirals in the war-weary country.
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Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani made his remarks after the bloodiest day in weeks of anti-government unrest in which security forces have shot dead hundreds of protesters and clashes have begun to escalate in southern provinces.
The government “appears to have been unable to deal with the events of the past two months … parliament, from which the current government emerged, must reconsider its choices and do whats in the interest of Iraq”, a representative of Sistani said in a televised sermon.
By "government," Sistani referred to the cabinet of Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi, who came to power a little over a year ago.
Sistani said attacks on peaceful protesters were “forbidden” but also urged demonstrators to reject violence, two days after protesters burned down the Iranian consulate in the southern holy city of Najaf.
Protesters “must not allow peaceful demonstrations to be turned into attacks on property or people”, he said.
Escalation of violence
The burning of the Iranian consulate in Najaf on Wednesday sparked an escalation of violence.
On Thursday, security forces shot dead 46 people in another southern city, Nassiriya; 12 in Najaf; and four in Baghdad, bringing the death toll from weeks of unrest to at least 408.
Most of the dead were unarmed protesters, according to a Reuters tallyRead More – Source
