The fall of the dinar raised voices in Iraq

• Demonstrations in Dhi Qar governorate 22-01-2023

Residents of the Al-Agar area, south of Nasiriyah in Dhi Qar governorate, cut off the railway tracks at exactly six o'clock in the evening to demand improved services in their area, completely stalled projects, and integrate them into other service projects. A demonstrator from the area pointed out that the Aker area is the area where the railway

There are hundreds of familiesliving in this area, according to another demonstrator. Up until now, there hasbeen no access to potable water, and the electric current has been constantlyinterrupted, negatively impacting the lives of residents in the area. Despiteefforts to contact the competent authorities, in particular the Dhi QarGovernorate office, the matter was not resolved and no response was received.It amounts to sending a message to the concerned authorities and a warning tothem. This is because reforms are among the basic rights of citizens, and ifthese demands are not met, there will be a significant escalation.

The demonstration continueduntil late at night, as the demonstration ended at eleven o'clock beforemidnight, after which the demonstrators withdrew from their places and returnedto their homes. After receiving a call from one of the sheikhs of the region.This call told them that a representative of the governor of Dhi Qar citypromised that the company executing the sewage and water networks project wouldresume its work within a short period.

Security forces dealt calmlywith the demonstrators, as they did not interfere with the demonstration. Thiswas in anticipation of any clashes with demonstrators. It was decided toorganize the demonstration and follow it up without getting involved. As aresult, media coverage was limited. This one may be the most critical time ofthe demonstration, as it took place in the evening and ended near midnight. Thepresence of any media channels covering the event was not monitored, except forsocial networking sites. They published part of the demonstration on theirsocial media pages. As a result of the demonstration that started, andaccording to what was reported by the monitoring team, the day after thedemonstration, the company concerned with repairing water and sewage networksreturned to work again, which the people of the region considered a positiveindication of the government's response to their demands. Shortly, they hope toreceive integrated services in their area.

• Baghdad demonstrations 01-25-2023

The low exchange rate for the Iraqi dinar has become a concern for Iraqi citizens. The continuous

Central Bank for the rise in thedollar's value against the dinar, considering it a deliberate attempt to harmthe public interest. It is worth noting that the exchange rate has increasedcontinuously for only one month. This is because the exchange rate for the USdollar reached a value of 1630 dinars per dollar, compared to 1460 dinars amonth ago. This is because the US dollar is a currency widely used in tradeinside and outside Iraq. Consequently, the price of most materials was affectedby the rise in the dollar.

The demonstrators, in front of the Central Bank of Iraq, chanted slogans calling on the administration of the Central Bank of Iraq to work to control the exchange rate of the dollar at

the flow of hard currency (dollars) to the markets to prevent smuggling, but this measure affected citizens in the first place. The demonstrators asked the Central Bank of Iraq to return the exchange rate to what it was in the past. Because of this continuous rise, all aspects of their lives were affected.

As a government response to the situation, Prime Minister Muhammad Shia'a al-Sudani dismissed the governor of the Central Bank, Mustafa al-Mukhaif. Due to the magnitude of the hardships endured by Iraqi 

A total of seven billion Iraqi dinars were owed to the Central Bank and the Iraqi government at the time.

 From a security point of view, the demonstrations were peaceful, and no cases of violence were detected during the demonstration. The role of the security forces was to organize and protect the demonstration. As for the media, there were many media channels, including Al-Hurra, Al-Arabiya, and Al-Madina, in addition to social networking sites. The demonstration ended at the time of the demonstration this evening. This was after the demonstrators vowed to escalate if the government did not take any action to reduce the price of the dollar against the dinar. This would enable it to return to its previous state.

The reasons for the demonstrations / the demands of the demonstrators

By reviewing the demonstrations and events in someIraqi governorates, it becomes clear that the most prominent reasons that ledto their launch are as follows:

• A decrease in the exchange rate of the Iraqi dinar against the US dollar.

• Low basic services.

• Corruption

Notes on the security authorities' handling of gatherings:

Despite the observations maderegarding the security forces and their professionalism in dealing withdemonstrations in Iraq. However, the demonstrations that were monitoredrecently showed that the security forces began to deal with the demonstratorsmore professionally. Especially concerning contact with demonstrators, thedispersal of demonstrations, and the use of violence. Recent demonstrationshave shown that the security forces are beginning to understand that the use ofviolence to disperse demonstrating groups is often counterproductive, andviolence cannot resolve the crises the country is facing. This progress can beconsidered a positive indicator of the work of the security forces in Iraq.

Kurdistan Organization for Human Right Watch

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