Assassination of Iraqi activist sparks protests in Karbala

The murder of a prominent activist in Karbala has triggered protests and calls for answers.
Mourners attend the funeral of assassinated Iraqi anti-government activist Ihab al-Wazni (Ehab al-Ouazni) at the Imam Hussein Shrine in the central holy shrine city of Karbala on May 9, 2021. Wazni, a coordinator of protests in the Shiite shrine city of Karbala, was a vocal opponent of corruption, the stranglehold of Tehran-linked armed groups and Iran's influence in Iraq. He was shot overnight outside his home by men on motorbikes, in an ambush caught on surveillance cameras.
Mourners attend the funeral of assassinated Iraqi anti-government activist Ihab al-Wazni (Ehab al-Ouazni) at the Imam Hussein Shrine in the central holy shrine city of Karbala on May 9, 2021. Wazni, a coordinator of protests in the Shiite shrine city of Karbala, was a vocal opponent of corruption, the stranglehold of Tehran-linked armed groups and Iran's influence in Iraq. He was shot overnight outside his home by men on motorbikes, in an ambush caught on surveillance cameras. -
Al Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East
Al-Monitor Staff

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in the southern Iraqi city of Karbala on Sunday, with some targeting the Iranian Consulate following the assassination of a well-known Iraqi activist by unknown gunmen. 

Ehab Wazni was fatally shot overnight Sunday near his home in Karbala, a holy city in Iraq’s mainly Shiite south. According to Agence France-Presse, surveillance footage showed unidentified men on motorbikes used a gun equipped with a silencer to kill the activist. 

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