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UN:
IRAQ: UN REPORTS WIDESPREAD RIGHTS ABUSES, URGES RESPONSE MEASURES:
12/10/2007
(MaximsNews Network)
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UNITED
NATIONS - / MaximsNews Network /
- 12 October 2007 -
The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq
(UNAMI) today issued a report documenting widespread human rights abuses and
recommending specific measures in response, including due process for detainees,
punishment for perpetrators of “honour killings,” and investigations into
deaths caused by private military firms operating in the country.
The
eleventh Quarterly Human Rights report does not contain casualty statistics
because the mission was “unable to persuade the Government to release data”
on the issue.
UNAMI
states that civilians continue to be targeted by armed groups through suicide
bombings, abductions and extrajudicial executions by perpetrators who make no
distinctions between civilians and combatants.
Concentrated
around Baghdad, the violence is also prevalent in other cities, such as Mosul
and Basra, and has victimized all ethnic groups while targeting professionals,
such as journalists and lawyers, according to the report, which warns that such
systematic or widespread attacks against a civilian population are tantamount to
crimes against humanity and violate the laws of war, and their perpetrators are
subject to prosecution.
UNAMI
calls on insurgent groups and armed militia to cease attacks against civilians,
cease hostage taking and release those being held. It urges the Government to
carry out policies aimed at vetting law enforcement personnel, and emphasizes
the importance of accountability.
The
report also urges the Government and State institutions to do more in ensuring
better judicial oversight mechanisms for suspects arrested in the context of the
ongoing Baghdad Security Plan and immediately address reports of torture in
Iraqi Government facilities as well as those of Kurdistan Regional Government.
UNAMI
cites recent media coverage of the Blackwater security firm and other private
contractors operating in Iraq, and endorses the position of the International
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) that relying on private military firms risks
eroding the distinction between civilians and combatants.
The
mission urges the United States authorities to investigate reports of deaths
caused by privately hired contractors, and establish effective mechanisms for
holding them accountable whenever circumstances surrounding the killings show no
justifiable cause.
“All
credible allegations of unlawful killings by MNF forces be thoroughly, promptly
and impartially investigated, and appropriate action be taken against military
personnel found to have used excessive or indiscriminate force, and that the
initiation of investigations into such incidents, as well as their findings,
should be made public.”
The
report raises concern about prolonged detention and the absence of timely
processing of detainees' cases through the judicial system. The overwhelming
majority of detainees interviewed by UNAMI spoke of extended delays in their
initial referral to a judicial official of up to two months in many cases and
lack of information on what would happen next, or where and when they would be
transferred and how long they would be held. As a matter of urgency, the
Government of Iraq and the judicial authorities need to take all necessary
measures to address these concerns, the report says.
UNAMI
also urges the MNF to observe the basic due process guarantees enshrined in the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
~~~~~
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