Sunni protesters say Sunnis have been pushed aside by Mr. Maliki's Shiite-backed government and victimized by antiterrorism laws.

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In May, for instance, the government abruptly extended for two years the official state of emergency, saying that new antiterrorism laws were not yet ready.

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Mr. Maliki's stated efforts to appease protesters' demands which include releasing female prisoners, reforming antiterrorism laws that Sunnis say unfairly target their minority and relaxing political restrictions on former members of the ousted regime mostly remain stalled in Iraq's divided parliament.

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