Iraqi Lawmaker Calls for Lawsuit against Riyadh over Mina Disaster
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An Iraqi lawmaker has called for filing a lawsuit against Saudi Arabia in international criminal courts over the death of hundreds of Hajj pilgrims in Mecca.
Sattar Ghanem, who is a member of the Iraqi parliament, criticized Riyadh’s mismanagement on Sunday.
He said countries that have lost many of their nationals in the tragedy of Mina must not compromise and should take serious measures against Riyadh.
The Iraqi lawmaker believes the Saudi regime is trying to sow division among Muslims. He also said Baghdad supported the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) running Hajj rituals instead of Riyadh.
The chief of crimes unit of Baghdad Police, Brigadier Ismail Hamid Zair, was among the dead of the Hajj crush in Mina, outside the holy city of Mecca, on September 24, Iraq’s Interior Ministry said Sunday, Press TV reported.
The fatal human crush broke out in Mina as a large crowd of pilgrims were on their way to participate in the symbolic stoning of Satan, a Hajj ritual.
According to Saudi Arabia’s Health Ministry, the death toll from the incident stands at nearly 770. However, Head of Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization Saeed Ohadi says the disaster has killed about 2,000 pilgrims.