Nouri al-Maliki, Iraq’s Shia prime minister, has warned the largely Sunni protesters to stop their demonstrations.
The move comes as powerful Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr voiced his support for the Sunni protests.
Maliki has ordered the release of more than 700 female prisoners, a key demand of the demonstrators, but he also issued a warning to the protesters to end their rallies.
Al Jazeera’s Omar al-Saleh reports from Baghdad: