This archive report was first published on 22 October 2019.
On October 1, 2019, protests shook Iraq for six days, with young Iraqis initially denouncing corruption and demanding jobs and services before calling for the downfall of the government.
According to the official inquiry, 111 of the dead, nearly all of them protesters, were killed in Baghdad, with around 70 percent of the deaths caused by bullet wounds to the head or chest.
The official toll included 149 civilians and eight members of the security forces killed between October 1 and 6, during protests in the capital and across mainly Shiite southern provinces.
Four security personnel were killed in Baghdad, where clashes initially centred around the iconic Tahrir Square.
Later unrest in the capital sparked a bloody night of violence in the Shiite stronghold of Sadr City.
Authorities formed a commission of inquiry to investigate, after initially only acknowledging security forces used excessive force in a few instances.
Former premier Haider al-Abadi, now in opposition, condemned the findings of the official inquiry, stating, "This report points to disobedience by military and security officials who decided to open fire contrary to their orders. But it does not explain how the 'disobedience' lasted several days without the higher levels of leadership taking control."
