BAGHDAD – Radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on Wednesday blasted a ban on public rallies in the Iraqi capital, saying it was “undemocratic” and based on fear of rising protests.
Iraq’s government announced last week demonstrations would be allowed only at three football stadiums, ostensibly because shopkeepers in the city’s main Tahrir Square complained of losing trade during weekly protests.
“The government claims democracy, and this is undemocratic,” Sadr said in a written response to queries about the protest ban from his supporters. Sadr loyalists have staged several large rallies in Baghdad and other parts of Iraq, most recently when tens of thousands turned up for an anti-US protest earlier this month in the capital.
