The leader of the Sadrist movement in Iraq Muqtada Al-Sadr called on his supporters today to evacuate the Iraqi parliament within 72 hours and to pursue their protests in the vicinities of the premises. He also urged them to remain prepared for future protests.

Al-Sadr stated, "After the Parliament was liberated and transformed into a People's Assembly, the following was decided: First, the parliament building will be vacated and the sit-in in front of and around Parliament will be assigned for protests within a maximum period of 72 hours from the date of this publication."

He added, "If there are other places where you are called to attend, the instructions will come to you accordingly," noting that " the sit-ins are highly important for fulfilling the people's demands, which we will strive to gain in the future."

He stressed the need to "organize the sit-ins in a succession of shifts, establishing the unified Friday prayer for the combined prayers in Baghdad, Babylon, Kut, Holy Karbala, and Najaf Al-Ashraf in the ceremonial arena this weekend."

"The protesters are in the process of forming a committee to manage and organize their actions and to take care of all necessary measures," he added.

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— وزير القائد - صالح محمد العراقي (@salih_m_iraqi) August 2, 2022

Yesterday, supporters of the Coordination Framework in Iraq flocked to the entrance of the Green Zone to participate in a demonstration that raised the slogan "supporting legitimacy and preserving the constitution", in response to a call made by the framework on Sunday, and addressed to the Iraqi people to demonstrate peacefully "to defend their state."

This came after the leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, called on his supporters to demonstrate, saying in a statement: "Oh, the Iraqi people, you are all at stake,"  he added, "rise up to demand reform in your country... I call on everyone to support the revolutionaries for reform, including our tribes, our security forces, and members of the popular mobilization."

Demonstrators supporting the Sadrist movement organized protests inside the Green Zone in Baghdad, protesting against the nomination of the Coordination Framework coalition, Muhammad Shia Al-Sudani, for the position of Prime Minister.

Two days ago, the Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, Muhammad al-Halbousi, announced the suspension of parliament sessions until further notice, against the background of demonstrators storming the Green Zone.

It is noteworthy that the Sadrist movement's bloc in the Iraqi parliament resigned from parliament on June 12, in a move that the leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, considered "a sacrifice for the sake of the homeland and the people to rid them of an unknown fate."

Read more: Coordination Framework calls on masses to prepare to defend state