Human rights demands an investigation into “skull bombs” used against protesters
Human rights demands an investigation into “skull bombs” used against protesters
2019/11/1 13:32
[Baghdad-Where] The
Human Rights Commission has requested an investigation into the type of tear gas used by security forces against demonstrators after it caused the death of tens of demonstrators and injured thousands of them so far.
“One of the 10 volunteer medical detachments deployed in Tahrir Square confirmed that they receive [5-20] cases of burns daily in the demonstrators’ skin as a result of exposure to tear gas,” UNHCR member Ali al-Bayati said in a statement.
“The existence of such cases raises suspicion about the material used in these weapons, as it is known that the gas in it gas (CN or CS or OC or pepper) causes cases of irritation of the mucous membrane of the eye and respiratory system mostly and temporarily and does not affect the skin as cases of burning Which requires an investigation into the materials used in these packages. ”
Amnesty International said yesterday that in five days at least five Iraqi demonstrators were killed by tear gas that “penetrated their skulls” by security forces.
The bombs, made in Bulgaria and Serbia, are “unprecedented” and “aimed at killing, not dispersing” demonstrators, Amnesty said in a statement on Thursday.
Video footage of activists showing young men lying on the ground with bombs pierced their skulls at a time when their noses, eyes and heads were smoldering.
Medical X-rays, which Amnesty International has confirmed, also show bombs that completely penetrated the skulls of those killed protesters.
Tear gas canisters, usually used by police around the world, weigh between 25 and 50 grams, according to Amnesty, but those used in Baghdad “weigh from 220 to 250 grams” and are “ten times more powerful” when they are launched.
The NGO quoted a doctor at a hospital near Tahrir Square as saying that he “receives six to seven people with head injuries” every day.
This comes at a time when more than 250 people have been killed in protests and popular demonstrations in Iraq since October 1, according to an official toll.
alliraqnews.com
