Basra Court moves against Iraqi MP's guards

Shafaq News – Basra

A Basra court issued arrest warrants for two members of Iraqi lawmaker Asaad al-Bazoni’s security detail after gunfire was reported at a protest, a source said on Sunday.

Videos circulating earlier online showed guards firing over the heads of demonstrators, while another vehicle appeared to try forcing its way through the crowd. Basra Security Committee Chief Aqeel al-Freiji told Shafaq News the shooting was a “clear breach,” while previous protests had been held under police protection without incidents.

The source told our agency that one guard has been detained, while the other remains at large after the incident outside the Basra Oil Company, where university graduates had been demonstrating for jobs.

Al-Bazoni wrote on Facebook that protesters had blocked his convoy and that a guard fired warning shots into the air without injuries. Protest representatives disputed that, saying guards fired toward them as they demanded the lawmaker step down from his vehicle. “We have been protesting for more than seven months without any official hearing us."