Dozens of activists have been killed in Iraq in recent years. In under a week, two have been assassinated and three narrowly survived murder attempts, as tensions between pro-Iran groups and a Western-leaning government claim new victims. Riham, an athletics coach who was deeply involved in anti-government protests, was shot dead in Basra on 26 August; five days earlier activist Tahsin died after being shot two dozen times. The targeted killings sent shivers down spines in Iraq’s civil society, already deeply disturbed by the killing in Baghdad of Al-Hashemi, a government adviser and widely respected historian. ‘The government and security forces have done nothing.’ said Ammar Al-Hilfi, a prominent Basra activist. In July a senior Iraqi official said the government suspected ‘possible assassinations’ as a reaction to a policy of extending state control.