Thousands of people in Iraq have taken to the streets and are demanding basic services, economic opportunities and an end to corruption among the country's political elite. More than 300 people have been killed and at least 15,000 wounded as a result. In Baghdad, demonstrators have portrayed images that are both haunting and inspiring, transforming a once dreary, grim underpass into a vivid, colorful wall of art.
The Saadoun Tunnel has become an ad hoc museum for Iraq’s massive anti-government protest movement. Along its walls, young artists draw murals, portraits and graffiti that illustrate the country’s tortured past and the Iraq they aspire to.
The tunnel passes under Baghdad’s Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the protests where thousands of people are camped out in a giant sit-in that has taken on the feel of a vibrant mini-city.
Protesters wear camouflage sniper uniforms and hold toy guns as they pass by graffiti at the Saadoun Tunnel, in Baghdad, Iraq.
Iraqi artists draw graffiti at the Saadoun Tunnel, in Baghdad, Iraq.
An Iraqi artist woman draws graffiti at the Saadoun Tunnel, in Baghdad, Iraq.
A protestor adds some details and facial expressions to graffiti that was drawn by an Iraqi artist, at the Saadoun Tunnel, in Baghdad, Iraq.
People pass by graffiti at the Saadoun tunnel, in Baghdad, Iraq
People sit near graffiti in the Saadoun tunnel, in Baghdad, Iraq
Protesters read donated books in front of graffiti, at the Saadoun Tunnel, in Baghdad, Iraq.
A protestor races his motorbike past graffiti in the Saadoun Tunnel, in Baghdad, Iraq.
A woman stands in front of graffiti at the Saadoun Tunnel, in Baghdad, Iraq.
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