Thursday, September 08, 2005
UN RhetIraq: Iraq Envoy on UN Report
Who: Ashraf Qazi (Special Representative to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan)
Source: United Nations
Quotes:
The top United Nations envoy in Iraq today voiced serious concern over the human rights situation in the war-torn country, including allegations of extra-judicial executions, consistent reports of excessive use of force and mass detentions of people without warrants, and the displacement of populations in security operations.
"There is a continuing concern over the lack of protection of basic human rights in Iraq," Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Special Representative Ashraf Qazi said in releasing the "Report on the Human Rights Situation in Iraq" for July-August, noting that he had repeatedly brought up the issue with various members of the Government.
Incidents cited in the report included:
The bodies of 36 men, blindfolded, handcuffed, bearing signs of torture, found on 25 August near Badhra. Families of the victims reported that the men had been detained after an operation carried out by forces linked to the Ministry of Interior.
Reports of ill-treatment of detainees continue. First and second hand accounts from Baghdad, Basra, Mosul, Kirkuk and the Kurdish areas consistently point to the systematic use of torture during interrogations at police stations and other premises belonging to the Ministry of Interior.
Special security operations in central and northern areas, particularly in al-Anbar Governorate and Tal Afar, result in displacement of population. The use of snipers and alleged use of illegal, non-conventional weapons in those areas are a particular source of anguish for the local population. It would be beneficial to publicly announce the type of weapons which are being or have been used by military forces.
Mass detentions without warrants continue to be used in military operations by Iraqi police, special forces of the Ministry of Interior and by the (United States-led) Multinational Force.
The high number of persons detained across the country during security operations continues to be a matter of concern. Internees should enjoy all the protections envisaged in all the rights guaranteed by international human rights conventions.
Source: United Nations
Quotes:
The top United Nations envoy in Iraq today voiced serious concern over the human rights situation in the war-torn country, including allegations of extra-judicial executions, consistent reports of excessive use of force and mass detentions of people without warrants, and the displacement of populations in security operations.
"There is a continuing concern over the lack of protection of basic human rights in Iraq," Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Special Representative Ashraf Qazi said in releasing the "Report on the Human Rights Situation in Iraq" for July-August, noting that he had repeatedly brought up the issue with various members of the Government.
Incidents cited in the report included:
