Shafaq News/ The Investigative Court of Nasiriyah ordered today, Sunday, the arrest of an officer and three soldiers over charges of killing citizens in the protests that rocked the capital of Dhi Qar Governorate.

A Judiciary source told Shafaq News Agency that the arrestees were a Colonel and three operatives from his close protection squad.

The arrest warrant was issued for charges of killing protestors in October 2019.

Nationwide protests erupted in Iraq in October 2019 as demonstrators demanded jobs and services and have swelled in the capital and southern cities with calls for an overhaul of the sectarian political system.

It is the biggest and most complex challenge in years to the political order set up after a U.S.-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003.

October unrest pitted the entire political class against mostly unemployed youth who have seen no improvement in their lives, even in peacetime.

Despite government pledges of reform, security forces have used lethal force since the onset—nearly 600 people across the country were killed in demonstrations and assassinations against activists.