On 08 May 2021, prominent human rights defender Ihab Jawad Al-Wazni, the head of the Karbala Coordination for the Civil Movement, was assassinated by unknown gunmen riding a motorbike, who shot him with bullets in front of his home in the centre of the city of Karbala. He had already survived an assassination attempt on 08 December 2019, after two gunmen in the middle of the security-fortified Old City assassinated his colleague, prominent human rights defender Fahim Al-Tai, using silencer weapons.

Al-Wazni has been distinguished by courage and fortitude. He has participated in all protests since 2011. Al-Wazni also used his Facebook page, which is followed by thousands, to coordinate various peaceful activities and report news of the main sit-in square in the city of Karbala (Al-Ahrar Square).