Militias abduct Iraqi activists in attempt to stifle protests
Hundreds of Iraqi activists have been abducted by unidentified forces trying to put an end to the ongoing protests.
![IRAQ-PROTESTS/ A man carries a picture of a demonstrator who was killed during ongoing anti-government protests, as other demonstrators block the street in Najaf, Iraq December 23, 2019. REUTERS/Alaa al-Marjani - RC2W0E9FX81T](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/almpics/2019/12/RTS2VXQ1.jpg/RTS2VXQ1.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=9uOyP3LB)
Iraq’s most senior Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, on Dec. 13 condemned the kidnappings of Iraqi activists and demonstrators in protest squares and stressed the need for weapons to be under the control of the Iraqi state.
A day earlier, the US Embassy in Baghdad had issued a statement condemning the kidnappings, and Amnesty International called on the Iraqi government to assume its responsibilities and take immediate and effective steps to stop the intimidation of activists.