<span style="color: #222222;">Iraq's semi-official human rights commission today said that at least 490 protesters have been killed in Baghdad and southern cities in the last three months of anti-government rallies.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Faisal Abdullah, a member of the commission, said that 490 killed include 33 activists assassinated in targeted killings. More than 22,000 have been injured while 56 protesters are still missing.  </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Iraq has been roiled by protests since October 1 in which demonstrators have taken to the streets to decry corruption, poor services and a lack of jobs. They have also called for an end to the political system imposed after the 2003 US-led invasion. The mass uprisings prompted the resignation of former Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi late last month. The protesters demand an independent candidate to hold the post.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' The leaderless protests – the most serious challenge for the ruling class in over a decade – were met with a violent crackdown by security forces.<br />''<br />''The United Nations has also said that it received credible allegations of deliberate killings, abductions and arbitrary detentions.</span><br />