The heart of revolt in Iraqi capital

The epicenter of the October 2019 anti-government protest movement, the square is now transformed and boasts a renovated park section, and Abbas sells coffee where he once shouted slogans.
“Here, many people were wounded and killed: young men, young women, doctors,” recalled Abbas, 21, offering cups to passers-by from flasks on his back.
“We were just demanding our rights.”
A scar runs across his left hand, a reminder of the violent crackdown unleashed by the security forces three years ago.