Electronic Iraq : International Law

Draft UN Resolution Fails to Address Human Rights and Humanitarian Crisis

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 12:14:33 CST

Amnesty International today expressed deep concern that a draft resolution before the Security Council to expand the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) fails to acknowledge and address meaningfully the grave human rights and humanitarian situation in the country that have rightly been highlighted by the most senior UN officials. "The draft resolution is completely silent on the gross human rights abuses taking place on a daily basis in Iraq, and on the deepening humanitarian crisis in the country," said Irene Khan, Secretary General of Amnesty International.

Iraq: Televised 'confessions', torture and unfair trials underpin world's fourth highest executioner

Fri, 20 Apr 2007 07:18:00 CST

Iraqi authorities are increasingly imposing the death penalty including after pretrial televised 'confessions', uninvestigated allegations of torture and unfair trials, according to a new report from Amnesty International. Iraq has now become the country with the fourth highest number of executions.

US and UK Bear Special Duty to Aid Refugees

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 07:41:00 CST

Iraq's neighbors are closing off escape routes to Iraqi asylum seekers, just as the international community has begun to respond to the 2 million refugees from the war, Human Rights Watch said in a briefing paper released today. As high-level officials, including ministerial-level representatives for Iraq and all countries in the region, meet in Geneva on April 17, 2007 for a conference to coordinate the international response to Iraqi refugees and internally displaced people, Iraq's neighbors are refusing entry, imposing onerous new passport and visa requirements, and building barriers to keep refugees out. In cases, they are also expelling Iraqis back to Iraq, Human Rights Watch said.

Anfal Proceedings Raise Concerns: Open Letter to the President of the Iraqi High Tribunal

Wed, 28 Mar 2007 06:36:00 CST

"We are writing this public letter to express our concerns arising in the Anfal trial. We hope the shortcomings identified below can be rectified to bring this trial into compliance with internationally recognized fair trial standards. Fair trials are instrumental to providing justice for victims and their families and will play a crucial role in ensuring that the brutal practices of the past regime are not repeated."

New Martial Law Powers Threaten Basic Rights

Fri, 02 Mar 2007 06:18:00 CST

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's new security plan for Baghdad grants military commanders sweeping powers to arrest people and restrict their basic freedoms of speech and association, Human Rights Watch said today.
On February 13, al-Maliki issued martial law powers giving military commanders authority to conduct warrantless arrests, monitor private communications, and restrict civil society groups in Baghdad. General Qanbar Hashim, commander of Baghdad operations, announced the decree as part of the Iraqi government's latest plan to curb the escalating civil war in the country. The decree grants General Qanbar far-reaching powers to conduct searches and seizures without warrants; to arrest, detain and interrogate people; to monitor, search and confiscate "all mail parcels, letters, cables, and wire and wireless communication devices"; and to restrict all public gatherings, including "centers, clubs, organizations, unions, companies, institutions, and offices."

US, UK and other states must protect Iraqi refugees

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 07:26:00 CST

Amnesty International today called on the international community to provide effective protection and assistance to nearly two million people fleeing Iraq, in what the UN's top refugee official Antonio Guterres recently called a "humanitarian disaster."

War objector's freedom of conscience must be respected

Tue, 06 Feb 2007 07:39:00 CST

Pending the trial on Monday 5 February of Ehren Watada over his refusal to participate in the Iraq war, Amnesty International stated that a guilty verdict would be a violation of internationally recognized rights to conscientious objection.

U.N. Officials Question Iraq's Rough Justice

Tue, 16 Jan 2007 07:14:00 CST

The U.S.-backed government in Baghdad is facing harsh criticism from the international community for ignoring calls to adopt a policy of restraint with regard to carrying out death sentences against the members of Iraq's former ruling party. Reacting to the hanging of Saddam Hussein's two close aides Monday, senior U.N. officials and human rights organizations warned that the government must end its policy of executions, which they see as serious violation of international human rights standards. "Those responsible for serious human rights violations must be brought to justice," said Louise Arbour, the top U.N. official for human rights. "But to be credible and durable, the fight against impunity must be based on respect for international human rights standards."

Execution of Saddam Hussein aides is a further slide into errors of the past

Mon, 15 Jan 2007 05:38:00 CST

Amnesty International today condemned the executions of Saddam Hussein's half-brother and the former head of Iraq's revolutionary court as a brutal violation of the right to life and a further lost opportunity for Iraqis to properly hold to account those responsible for the crimes committed under Saddam Hussein's rule.

More Hangings Would Further Jeopardize Respect for Rule of Law

Mon, 08 Jan 2007 08:38:00 CST

The planned executions of two senior Ba`ath Party officials convicted in the unfair Dujail trial, coming on the heels of widening international criticism of Saddam Hussein's hanging, highlight the Iraqi government's disturbing disregard for human rights and the rule of law, Human Rights Watch said today.

Amnesty International deplores execution of Saddam Hussein

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 07:34:00 CST

Amnesty International deplored the execution of Saddam Hussein following the confirmation of his sentence by the Iraqi Appeals Court on 26 December 2006.
The organization, which totally opposes the use of the death penalty, said it was concerned that the Iraqi Appeals Court had failed to address the major flaws during the former dictator's trial before the Supreme Iraqi Criminal Tribunal which had rendered it unfair.

Appeals Chamber Should Review Flawed Hussein Verdict

Wed, 27 Dec 2006 07:52:00 CST

The Iraqi government should not implement the death sentence against Saddam Hussein, which was imposed after a deeply flawed trial for crimes against humanity, Human Rights Watch said today. The Appeals Chamber of the Iraqi High Tribunal, which was first reported by Iraq's national security adviser to have upheld the sentence, should have conducted a thorough legal review of the verdict and then announced its findings, Human Rights Watch said.

More executions "no remedy" for worsening security

Thu, 21 Dec 2006 10:15:00 CST

Amnesty International is greatly concerned by a new surge in executions in Iraq, despite calls by the international community for Iraq to abolish the death penalty. On 19 December, the Iraqi Prime Minister's office announced that a further 13 prisoners had been executed, making 2006 the year with the highest number of executions since Iraq reinstated the death penalty in 2004. At least 60 people have been executed in Iraq since the authorities resumed executions in September 2005, with some 53 reported to have been executed since the beginning of this year.

Palestinian refugees fear for their lives after recent attack

Sun, 17 Dec 2006 05:37:00 CST

Palestinian refugees living in Iraq say there is increasing fear in their community after a recent attack on a predominantly Palestinian Baghdad neighbourhood left nine people dead and several injured, including children. "We are getting worried about our situation in Iraq. We cannot leave the country because the borders are closed to us and the government doesn't give us any hope that it can increase our security," said Ahmed Muffitlak, spokesman for the Baghdad-based Palestinian Muslims Association (PMA). On 13 December, local militia attacked the al-Baladiya district of the capital, where hundreds of Palestinians have lived for years.

Bush and Abdullah Must Address Iraqi Refugee Crisis

Tue, 28 Nov 2006 08:52:00 CST

Since the war in Iraq began in 2003, more than 1 million Iraqis have fled, but none of Iraq's neighbors, nor the United States, treats them as refugees. A new HRW report, "The Silent Treatment: Fleeing Iraq, Surviving in Jordan," documents the hardships faced by Iraqis who have fled persecution and violence in Iraq, but who do not have permission to stay in Jordan.

Investigation into Dutch misconduct in Iraq

Fri, 17 Nov 2006 23:59:00 CST

The Dutch government will install an independent commission to investigate the process of interrogation by Dutch military intelligence in Iraq. The investigation will look into the conduct of these intelligence officers during interrogation of fifteen Iraqi prisoners during the month of October in 2003 in the Iraqi province of Muthanna. According to the Dutch leading morningpaper De Volkskrant Dutch military officers were involved in the torture of dozens of Iraqi prisoners in the southern Iraq.

Human Rights Groups Seek Criminal Investigation In Germany Of Rumsfeld

Tue, 14 Nov 2006 09:08:00 CST

The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), the Republican Attorneys' Association (RAV) and others, represented by Berlin Attorney Wolfgang Kaleck, filed a criminal complaint in Germany today alleging that high-ranking U.S. civilian and military officials, including Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, committed war crimes in Iraq and in the U.S.-controlled Guantanamo Bay prison camp. Additional co-plaintiffs include dozens of international human rights groups from various regions in the world, Nobel Peace Prize winners Aldolfo Perez Esquirel and Martin Almada, as well as Theo van Boven, the former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture.

One year on, still no justice for torture victims

Mon, 13 Nov 2006 08:00:00 CST

"Amnesty International is calling on the Iraqi government to publish the findings of its investigation in the so-called al-Jadiriya case in November 2005, involving the detention and torture of suspects under the control of the Iraqi Interior Ministry. The Iraqi authorities quickly announced an investigation after these abuses were revealed, but one year on its findings have still not been disclosed and those responsible for the incarceration, torture and brutal treatment of the detainees have not been held to account."

Amnesty International deplores death sentences in Saddam Hussein trial

Mon, 06 Nov 2006 04:42:00 CST

Insurgents using children to fight US-led forces

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 14:01:00 CST

Some children have been recruited by insurgents to fight in Iraq, according to a prominent local NGO. The Iraq Aid Association (IAA) in Baghdad, which works with children suffering psychological trauma as a result of violence, said most child insurgents harbour reasons for revenge. International law protects children from recruitment and participation in conflict. "We have heard of cases of children helping insurgents and this should have been prevented. Insurgents should be careful in putting children in such dangerous situations," an IAA spokesperson said.