Former PM reveals pressure from political parties to use force against Sadrists
Shafaq News/ Former Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi revealed, on Monday, that certain parties within the Coordination Framework pressured him to use lethal force against followers of Muqtada Al-Sadr during the 2016 Green Zone protests.
Al-Abadi stated that these parties urged him to deploy weapons and aircraft to quell the demonstrators.
In an interview, Al-Abadi responded to a question regarding the storming of the Green Zone by Al-Sadr's followers, saying, "The protesters stormed my office at that time, which the parties considered a breach of sovereignty, but I did not use force against them as they were citizens."
Al-Abadi elaborated, "I told them that while the protesters made a mistake by entering the Prime Minister's office, this does not constitute a breach of sovereignty. Is the storming of Parliament by citizens a justification for killing protesters?"
He pointed out that "the entry of Al-Sadr's followers into the Green Zone was a mistake by Al-Sadr. I disagreed with him on the matter and requested that he leave the Green Zone within 24 hours."
In 2016, the Sadrist movement, led by influential Shiite cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr, orchestrated a significant demonstration by storming Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses key government buildings and foreign embassies.
This incident highlighted the intense public dissatisfaction with government corruption and inefficiency. Many Iraqis were frustrated with the political elite's perceived self-serving nature and the slow implementation of promised reforms by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.
On April 30, after weeks of protests, thousands of Al-Sadr's supporters breached the Green Zone's defenses, entered the Iraqi Parliament, chanted anti-corruption slogans, and vandalized property.
Al-Sadr's role in the protests reinforced his influence as a significant political player in Iraq, capable of mobilizing mass support and directly challenging the government.
