Thousands of protesters converged on cities and towns across Iraq March 4, streaming in on foot in defiance of vehicle bans for rallies over corruption, unemployment and poor public services. Some 2,000 gathered in Baghdad's Tahrir Square, while large protests were also reported in Mosul, Basra and Nasiriyah and Basra. The Baghdad rally eventually ended when security forces overran the square, forcing the remaining 200-odd protesters to leave. In Basra, security forces used water cannons to disperse demonstrators. The wave of protests has prompted Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to give his cabinet 100 days to instate reforms or face the sack—but he remains the target of popular ire. The Baghdad protesters chanted "Liar, Liar, Nuri al-Maliki" as well as "Oil for the people, not for the thieves" and "Yes for democracy and the protection of freedom." (Middle East Online, March 4)

UN Special Representative to Iraq Ad Melkert issued a statement March 1 expressing concern about reports of human rights violations in the nationwide protest campaign now shaking the country. Melkert said reported violations included "disproportionate" use of force by security forces against protesters. "Fundamental changes are needed for creating stability and trust," said Melkert, who is the head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI). (AP, UN News Centre, March 2)

Protests were held in towns and cities across Iraq Feb. 25, with marchers filling Baghdad's Tahrir Square in a national "day of rage." In Mosul, three were killed when security forces fired on the crowd. Four were also killed in clashes between protesters and security forces in Haweija, a town north of Kirkuk. (AlJazeera, DPA, Feb. 25)

Thousands of protesters filled Tahrir Square in the center of the northern Iraqi city of Sulaimaniyah on Feb. 22, in an ongoing campaign against the two entrenched political parties that have divided power in the Kurdish autonomous region (KDP and PUK). Three young protesters have been killed and more than 100 wounded in Sulaimaniyah since the campaign began last week. Demonstrators carried banners reading, "Don't Forget Hosni Mubarak," referring to the Egyptian president who was overthrown after massive protests on Cairo's Tahrir Square. In a bid to prevent further violence, several demonstrators wore white shirts inscribed with the words, "Wall of Peace," and stood between the bulk of the protesters and security forces.

Three protesters were killed in street clashes in the cities of Arbil, Dohuk and Sulaimaniyah in Iraqi Kurdistan Feb. 18. Apparent supporters of the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) looted several offices of the Goran opposition party. Protests against corruption, poor basic services and high unemployment in several cities across Iraq also left more than 100 people wounded. (Middle East Online, Feb. 18)

What authorities call a "tribal dispute" between Arabs and Turkmen over land near Iraq's oil-rich northern city of Kirkuk left three people dead and several more wounded several others Feb. 11. The incident began with a protest by Turkmen against Arabs who were building houses in the village of Basheer. (Reuters, Feb. 11) Six were killed and 22 wounded in three car bomb attacks in Kirkuk on Feb. 9, in what authorities said was an attack by Ansar al-Islam on the Kurdish militia Asayish. (NYT, Xinhua, Feb. 9)

Iraq operates secret prisons and routinely tortures prisoners to extract confessions that are used to convict them, Amnesty International said in a report released on Feb. 8. An estimated 30,000 men and women remain in custody in Iraq, some in secret facilities operated by the ministries of defense and interior, asserts the report, titled "Broken Bodies, Broken Minds." "Iraqi security forces use torture and other ill-treatment to extract 'confessions' when detainees are held incommunicado, especially in detention facilities—some secret—controlled by the Ministries of Interior and Defence," the report said.

Hundreds of protesters marched in cities around Iraq Feb. 4, inspired by uprisings elsewhere in the region. The government's failure to provide basic services topped the list of grievances, with complaints of food, water and power shortages. The biggest demonstration took place in al-Hamza, a poor town Shi'ite town south of Baghdad, where marchers were estimated by authorities at over 1,000. (CNN, Feb. 3)