A citizen in the Al-Tahreer neighborhood of Baqubah made an urgent appeal to the relevant security authorities to intervene and close a shop selling alcoholic beverages and dumble, which has opened near his home, threatening to resort to force if his demand is not met.
The citizen has entered an open sit-in in front of his house, confirming his continuation of the protest until the relevant authorities listen to his complaint and find a radical solution to end the existence of these activities adjacent to residential areas.
The citizen issued a stern warning through his video appeal, threatening to kill one of those present in those places and accept the legal and tribal consequences, to alleviate the harm to his family and the area, according to his statement.
In response to this matter, Diyala Provincial Council member Aws Al-Mahdawi stated in a press interview seen by "Video News Agency" that "the Tourism Authority grants licenses to entities that apply to open shops for alcoholic beverages almost randomly, while this file should be subject to specific regulations, constraints, and oversight procedures, and it should not be allowed to open within residential areas".
He added that "the Diyala Council voted last week to prohibit the opening of alcoholic beverage shops within residential neighborhoods," calling for "measures to enforce the decision and relocate the opened shops between homes to other areas".
Al-Mahdawi called for "a reconsideration of the conditions and controls for granting licenses for alcoholic beverage shops, to prevent their opening near the homes of citizens and families".
Meanwhile, the Diyala Police Command clarified in a statement seen by the Video News Agency regarding the rumors about the opening of a shop selling alcoholic beverages in residential areas, particularly in the Al-Tahreer area. The Diyala Police Command wishes to clarify that, in implementation of the order and directive of the Diyala Police Chief, Major General Muhammad Kazem Atiya, the Diyala Police Command took the necessary measures last week and issued directives to close the mentioned shop and not allow the sale of alcoholic beverages there. It is not open and is not operating at present.
It continued, "We also wish to clarify that what happened recently does not constitute the opening of the shop or the initiation of any commercial activity, but rather was limited to the property owner's visit to the place for cleaning purposes only."
It affirmed that "the matter is still under close monitoring by the relevant security agencies, and it is keen on the safety and security of the residents of the neighborhoods and preserving their nature and privacy, and it will not allow any actions or practices that could disturb the citizens or disrupt the regulations and directives in force."