Former Iraqi MP Hakim Al-Zamili: Al-Hurra TV behind Videos of Protesters Killed and Wounded in Najaf; It's All Hollywood Acting

Former Iraqi MP Hakim Al-Zamili, who served as the head of the Security and Defense Committee in Iraqi Parliament and as a deputy minister of health, was interviewed on Al-Iraqiya TV (Iraq) on February 5, 2020. In the interview Al-Zamili was asked about videos from protests in Najaf, showing protesters killed and wounded and tents being burnt down. Al-Zamili said these videos were fabricated and prepared in advance. He said the people in the videos were actors and the audio was dubbed over. He asked the interviewer: "Where are the martyrs?" Al-Zamili said it was possible that some people were wounded because of "the people carrying weapons" but the people of the Sadr movement do not even carry clubs.

Interviewer: "There are videos showing large numbers of victims [among protesters in Najaf] – martyrs, wounded people in the hospitals, tents burned down..."

Hakim Al-Zamili: "It's all acting. There are actors there. They excel at acting and audio dubbing. You know that the Hollywood films are all American. America... what Al-Hurra TV does..."

Interviewer: "Even in Najaf, they managed to produce them so fast?"

Hakim Al-Zamili: "They are prepared in advance. But tell me, where are the martyrs? Go to the condolence gatherings and bring me some martyrs. Perhaps some people were wounded because of the people carrying weapons. As for the Sadrist movement – none of our people carries even a club."