Residents in Diyala protest electricity cut to emergency line

BAQUBA, Iraq — Residents of an apartment building in the Tahrir neighborhood of Baquba, the capital of Diyala province, took to the streets to protest the disconnection of their building's emergency electricity line. The residents said the apartments had been supplied through the same line since the 1970s and that local authorities were aware of the issue. They noted that the building lacks a rooftop, leaving them no open space to sleep at night, and that the apartments face each other directly, preventing them from leaving doors open for ventilation due to privacy concerns. The residents appealed to the prime minister and the electricity minister to exempt them from the decision to cut emergency power lines. Iraq's Electricity Ministry has begun cutting emergency lines that supply government institutions, residential and non-residential complexes, and officials' homes in all locations except hospitals and prisons. The ministry also issued an order to establish a commission to monitor loads and hold accountable those who connect to 24-hour emergency lines without authorization.