The number of demonstrators who have died in Iraq since the break-up of the social movement last October has reached 319 people according to official figures. Meanwhile, the majority of schools and universities in the south of the country closed on Tuesday after the Teachers' Union declared a general strike to support the protests.
Despite the authorities' call for a "normal life", protesters maintained their demands for radical political change and recalled that Iraq is both the richest country in terms of oil sources but also , the country where corruption is most prevalent.
In Hilla, south of Baghdad, schools were forced to close due to the absence of teachers, while general departments reduced hours of work. In Nassiriya, where two protesters died Monday night according to local media, and Diwaniya (the two cities in the south where the protests are the most intense), all educational institutions have closed their doors while in Baghdad; young protesters continue confrontations with the police.
For their part, the police are trying to close all access to the Ettahrir square while the riot police continue to use tear gas to disperse the demonstrators, according to correspondents of France Presse.
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