Evidence Shows Iraqi Security Forces Shot To Kill Protesters In Baghdad - Rights Group

Iraqi security forces began firing military-grade tear gas canisters directly at protesters in Baghdad late last year, which has led to a high number of casualties, research by prominent rights groups published on Tuesday found

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th March, 2020) Iraqi security forces began firing military-grade tear gas canisters directly at protesters in Baghdad late last year, which has led to a high number of casualties, research by prominent rights groups published on Tuesday found.

According to detailed video analysis and a 3D reconstruction of events, Amnesty International and SITU Research concluded that Iraqi riot police deliberately shot to kill using weapons designed for war.

According to weapons experts that Amnesty spoke with, the tear gas canisters used in Baghdad were 10 times heavier than those ordinarily used to disperse riots. Furthermore, video analyses from various angles taken by people at the scene show that security personnel fired at low angles into the crowd against common recommendations.

The research picks apart an episode that took place at the Jamhouriyya Bridge in Baghdad, an epicenter of the protests that was the scene of dozens of killings.

By reproducing the velocity and force of the projectiles hitting gelatin, which mimics human flesh, the SITU concluded that the tear gas grenades have the same lethal capacity as a 12-gauge hunting rifle expressly designed to kill.

"Overwhelming evidence points to a pattern of Iraq's security forces deliberately using these heavy tear gas and smoke grenades to kill, rather than disperse, protesters, in direct violation of international human rights law," Brian Castner, a senior crisis adviser on arms at Amnesty International, was quoted as saying.

Amnesty International blasted the Iraqi government for sanctioning the use of lethal weapons to kill and maim protesters instead of dispersing, and the lack of investigation or retribution against the officers behind the killings.

Mass protests erupted across Iraq in October last year with demands of economic reform, better living conditions and an end to endemic corruption. The protests coincided with similar protests in Lebanon, Chile, Algeria and other places but stood out for the high number of casualties reported. According to the Iraqi War Crimes Documentation Center, the protests have left nearly 700 people dead and injured 25,000.