Nearly 560 Iraqis Killed in Months of Anti-government Protests, Government Says
The mass demonstrations that started in October led to the resignation of Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, who was replaced by Mustafa al-Kadhimi
Nearly 560 Iraqi protesters and security forces were killed in months of anti-government unrest that erupted last year, the government said on Thursday.
Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi's new government has pledged to investigate the deaths and incarceration of hundreds of protesters in unrest that unseated the previous government last year.
The death toll is roughly in line with what news outlets and rights groups have reported.
The government will treat all 560 people as "martyrs" and each family will be offered 10 million diners ($8,380) in compensation, Hisham Daoud, the prime minister's adviser, told reporters.
Protests began on October 1 and continued for several months, with hundreds of thousands of Iraqis demanding jobs, services and the removal of the ruling elite, which they said was corrupt.
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The protests caused the resignation of Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, who was replaced in May by Kadhimi, a former intelligence chief.