Iraqi cleric Sayyed Muqtada al-Sadr laid into Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Tuesday, describing him as a "dictator and tyrant."

Iraqi cleric Sayyed Muqtada al-Sadr laid into Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Tuesday, describing him as a "dictator and tyrant."

"Iraq is reeling under a dishonest government and an obsolete parliament that cannot defend itself," he said in a televised address only three days after announcing his retirement from politics.

Sadr asserted that Maliki's government had failed to improve public services and the country's dire economic situation.

He also accused the government of using "a politicized judiciary against its partners" without elaborating further.

Reiterating his intention to withdraw from politics, Sadr said he would stand equidistant from all Iraqi political parties, calling on supporters to take part in April parliamentary polls.

In statements on Saturday, he attributed the decision to his desire to "preserve the good name of the Sadr family… and avoid sedition… inside and outside Iraq."

His statements came on the heels of popular protests against recently passed legislation aimed at improving retirement benefits for top civil servants, lawmakers and government officials.