Iraqi Shiite Cleric Says Government Should Reform or Resign

(Bloomberg) -- Iraq’s government should stop oppressing its citizens, initiate reforms or face removal, prominent Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said in a statement.

“Resign before you are obliged to do so, or reform before you are removed,” al-Sadr said, adding that protests in the country had succeeded in putting pressure on the corrupt.

At least 63 people were killed and 2,592 were wounded on Friday and Saturday, according to Iraq’s High Commission for Human Rights, as protests continue in Baghdad and elsewhere in the country over unemployment, government corruption and a lack of basic services.

Sadr’s party said it would stage a sit-in at the Iraqi parliament until the protesters' demands are met.

To contact the reporter on this story: Khalid Al-Ansary in Baghdad at kalansary@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Sebastian Tong at stong41@bloomberg.net, Ian Fisher, Matthew G. Miller

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