Shafaq News- Basra

Iraq’s High Commission for Human Rights called on Sunday for an immediate investigation into assaults on engineers during a protest outside Basra Oil Company.

Mahdi al-Tamimi, head of the commission’s Basra office, told Shafaq News that the attacks on male and female engineers violate laws guaranteeing the right to peaceful protest and require a serious response from authorities. He added that the commission strongly condemns the incidents and has repeatedly called for full protection of demonstrators and avoidance of direct confrontation.

Earlier today, engineering graduates and oil-sector specialists, including FCC project staff, staged a protest at the company’s Zaqura site, demanding employment opportunities on a daily-wage basis. A security force moved to disperse the protest using batons, resulting in the arrest of six demonstrators and injuries to 12 others, including women, according to sources and protest representatives.