Iraqi CF denies calls for violent response to 2016 protests

Shafaq News/ The Coordination Framework (CF), comprising Shia political factions participating in the government, denied, on Tuesday, claims that its members called for the killing of followers of Muqtada al-Sadr during the 2016 protests.

Former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi (2014-2018) revealed on Monday that some parties within the Coordination Framework urged him to use force, including aircraft, to suppress al-Sadr's supporters when they stormed the Green Zone in massive demonstrations.

Ali al-Fatlawi, a senior figure in the Coordination Framework, refuted these claims. "What al-Abadi stated is far from the truth. There was no such request from any faction within CF. No sane mind within our ranks would make such a request. All our leaders are devout and would not call for such a massacre," al-Fatlawi said.

He suggested that al-Abadi's remarks were politically motivated. "These recent statements by al-Abadi are merely attempts to curry favor with the Sadrist Movement, especially with his intent to re-enter the political arena. He wants to signal that he is close to al-Sadr and potentially open to political or electoral alliances in the future," al-Fatlawi added.

In a televised interview, al-Abadi addressed the question of the Green Zone breach by Sadrist followers. He claimed that certain parties within CF had asked him to deploy lethal force against the protesters. "The protesters entered my office, which some parties considered a breach of sovereignty, but I did not use force against them as they were citizens," al-Abadi said.

The 2016 protests saw thousands of supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr breach the fortified Green Zone, which houses government buildings and foreign embassies, in a demonstration against corruption and poor public services.