Middle East News
Iraqi authorities move to block protests over electricity shortages
Aug 16, 2010, 12:39 GMT
Baghdad - Authorities in the southern Iraqi governorate of Dhi Qar announced Monday that all public protests against the massive shortages of electricity in Iraq are outlawed, in the latest move to prevent such demonstrations.
The capital of the governorate, Nasariya, some 370 kilometres south of Baghadad, saw police go around in the early morning and use loudspeakers to inform the population that they could not attend a planned protest.
'The council has instructed security forces deployed in the province to prevent any demonstration of this kind,' an official on the local council told the Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
That region of the country is among the hardest hit by the ongoing power crisis, receiving an average of just four hours a day of electricity.
The crisis has worsened during the hot summer months, with needs for refrigeration and other devices skyrocketing as temperatures hit 50 degrees Celsius during the day.
Damaged and poorly planned infrastructure, along with the lack of a central government since the March 7 elections, have all been key contributors to the power problems in Iraq.
Demonstrations in Basra, a district further south, earlier this summer led to fatalities when police clamped down on the protesters. Attempts to hold additional protests there were blocked earlier this month by police.
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