Nearly a month following the bloody events that took place in the town of Hawija, the Iraqi judiciary has decided to investigate the circumstances surrounding the events, just as it has adopted the Iraqi Council of Representatives’ report on the circumstances of the Iraqi army’s attack on the protest square in the city.

The Iraqi general prosecution, which is a body of the Iraqi judicial authority, announced on May 13, 2013, the formation of an independent inquiry commission to look into the events of Hawija, and the transfer of the case to the Kirkuk province.

The prosecution’s decision means that the investigation will not occur in the capital, Baghdad, but rather in the province to which Hawija administratively belongs.

Members of the special forces stormed the protest square in Hawija on April 23, 2013, leaving at least 163 protesters dead and wounded. Hundreds of others were either arrested or went missing. The Defense Ministry justified the attack on the protest square by saying that it happened after protesters failed to obey orders to leave the square, and after gunmen in the square opened fire.