Corporate report

Iraq - Country of Concern: latest update, 30 September 2014

Updated 21 January 2015

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

0.1 Latest Update: 30 September 2014

The overall human rights situation in Iraq deteriorated between July and September 2014, as the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) escalated their attacks in the western and northern parts of the country. The deterioration of the humanitarian and security situation has affected civilians from all of Iraq’s communities, and led the UN to declare the situation to be the highest level of humanitarian emergency.

Increased insecurity has led large numbers of Iraqis to flee from their homes, with the number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) now estimated to be over 1.8 million, with 850,000 of these currently residing in the Kurdistan region (source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs).

ISIL and associated armed groups continue to commit atrocities against Muslims, Christians, Yezidis, Turkmen and other communities throughout the areas under their control. Following ISIL’s capture of Mosul in the north of the country, Christians were warned that they must either convert to Islam, pay a tax, or be killed. There are widespread reports that other non-Muslim communities have experienced equally severe pressure to convert. In August, thousands of Yezidis, having fled their homes, found themselves stranded in the Sinjar Mountains without food, water or shelter. Those men unable to flee were reportedly executed by ISIL fighters. Between June and August, the Turkmen population of the town of Amerli was subjected to an 80-day ISIL siege. They were eventually liberated by Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), assisted by US airstrikes. The UK and other international partners supplied vital aid through air drops to Sinjar and Amerli. ISIL have also attacked a number of holy sites and, on 25 September, reportedly blew up the oldest church in the Middle East, the Green Church, in central Tikrit.

Over the last three months, large numbers of women and children have been killed or abducted by ISIL. The UN envoy for children and armed conflict has reported that ISIL fighters in Iraq have killed hundreds of children, including by summary execution, and used some children as suicide bombers. Amnesty International has reported that many of the abducted women and girls have been subjected to rape or sexual abuse, forced to marry fighters, or sold into sexual slavery. Many of these women are being sold by ISIL for as little as $500. Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, confirmed that Sameera Salih Ali al-Nuaimy, an Iraqi human rights lawyer, was abducted, tortured, and publicly executed by ISIL in Mosul on 25 September.

Levels of terrorist violence throughout Iraq have remained high over the last three months. Over 260 people were killed in Baghdad between July and September. On 18 August, Saad Abdul Wahab Ahmed, a civil society activist, was assassinated by unidentified gunmen in Muqdadiyah, Diyala Province. The UN reported that at least 3,986 civilians and over 706 members of the ISF have been killed since July.

Reports continue of militias committing human rights abuses. On 22 August, over 70 people were killed in a suicide bomb attack on a Sunni mosque in Diyala province. There are unconfirmed reports that Shia militia were responsible for the attack.

Concerns also remain about the conduct of the ISF, particularly around unlawful detention, as well as deficiencies within the Iraqi justice system more generally. The newly formed government of Iraq has committed to tackling these issues; the challenge for them now is to deliver. On 13 September, Prime Minister Al-Abadi ordered ISF units fighting ISIL not to shell in civilian areas, with the aim of preventing civilian casualties. He also intends to reorganise the ISF, including integrating volunteer civilian fighters and dissolving militia groupings. He has stressed the need to keep all arms under State supervision to prevent abuse by armed civilians.

The government of Iraq continues to apply the death penalty. Four people were executed on 3 July and a further four on 16 July, bringing the total number of executions this year to at least 60. The unofficial moratorium on the use of the death penalty imposed by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in 2009 remains in place.

Over the last three months, we have continued to encourage the Iraqi government to act together against the threat posed by ISIL, to protect all Iraqi citizens, and to promote the rule of law. The UK welcomed the appointment of Fouad Massoum as President and Dr Haider Al-Abadi as Prime Minister. During a meeting at the UN General Assembly, Prime Minister David Cameron congratulated Prime Minister Al-Abadi on his work to form a more inclusive and representative government. He also urged all political blocs to work together to tackle the humanitarian and security challenges that Iraq is facing. The UK Ambassador to Iraq met the new Iraqi Minister for Human Rights within his first week in office. Our Embassy in Baghdad have continued to stress to contacts within the Iraqi government that human rights abuses and violations by all sides must be documented, and those responsible held to account.

On 1 September, the UN Human Rights Council met in a Special Session focused on the human rights situation in Iraq in light of abuses committed by ISIL and associated groups. Alongside international partners, the UK worked to secure a strong resolution. This was passed by consensus, mandating the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to dispatch an urgent mission to investigate and report on ISIL abuses.

A UK-funded Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative (PSVI) project in Basra, implemented by the charity War Child, has achieved considerable success, and is now planning to begin work in the north of the country. Engagement with women has been a key priority for the UK in Iraq, and our Embassy have set up two working groups, one of which concentrates on female MPs, and the other on young women. The aim of the groups is to improve women’s access to employment and the political process, and to combat the effects of sexual violence.

On 8 August, the International Development Secretary, Justine Greening, announced £8 million in additional humanitarian assistance, and a further £10 million on 27 August. The UK has now committed £23 million to Iraq, with the Department for International Development (DfID) leading the UK’s humanitarian response. DfID are working to ensure that life-saving aid gets to people across northern and central Iraq who have been displaced by ISIL’s advance. On 27-28 August, Minister for the Middle East, Tobias Ellwood, visited Iraq with Ms Greening and the government’s Security Envoy to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Lieutenant General Sir Simon Mayall, to promote political unity in the country. During field visits to refugees at a church and a refugee camp, the party saw firsthand the work being done by DfID-supported NGOs to help IDPs from all communities.

On 26 September, Parliament voted to join US-led coalition air strikes in Iraq. The Royal Air Force engaged their first targets on 30 September to assist Kurdish troops in north-west Iraq. The Iraqi government has stressed the importance of avoiding civilian casualties, and the UK Armed Forces will take all reasonable measures to ensure civilians are not killed or injured during air strikes.

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