Tuesday, May 08, 2007
UNAMI Kurdistan human rights report sparks controversy
Human Rights
(IPS) - A United Nations report on Iraq's human rights situation has provoked mixed reactions in the northern Kurdistan region. Officials accuse the UN of "exaggeration and inaccuracy" while human rights activists say the "actual extent of violations has been understated by the UN." The report by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) covering the first three months of this year has a substantial section on human rights in the Kurdish- controlled north.
The UNAMI report released in late April voiced "serious concern" over freedom of expression, detentions, and the conditions in which women live in Kurdistan. Kurdish authorities say the UN report lacks first-hand information on many alleged cases of violation. "This report is not precise in its investigations because in some cases it has relied on media reports or on reports released by other organisations," Dindar Zebari, Kurdistan Regional Government's coordinator for UN Affairs told IPS.
Zebari said his government has passed new laws and implemented reforms in government institutions in order to improve human rights conditions in the three provinces of Arbil, Sulaimaniya and Dohuk under its control. "We have exerted a lot of efforts to stop violence against women. For example, people convicted of honour killing will not be eligible for general amnesties," Zebari said.
But rights activists in Kurdistan hold quite contrary views. Rebin Rasul Ismael, a human rights activist from Arbil, believes the UN report is inaccurate because "it has failed to mention all the violations in Kurdistan, and has only mentioned the prominent and outstanding ones. "The current reality shows that human rights conditions (here) are very bad, and I am not optimistic about the future of human rights in Kurdistan and Iraq," Ismael told IPS.
Honour killings, he said, are no longer a few isolated incidents, "but have reached a level that now women are generally under a big threat in Kurdistan." The UN figures warn of deteriorating living conditions for women in the north. In Arbil province alone 358 women have burnt themselves to death since 2003. Another 218 have tried to do so. The prime reason is increasing pressure from male members of the family, the report says.
Another cause for concern given in the report is the conditions of prisoners, especially those arrested on suspicion of terrorism. Several journalists have been arrested by security services over the past few years. Others have been threatened or beaten by unknown persons.
The UNAMI report released in late April voiced "serious concern" over freedom of expression, detentions, and the conditions in which women live in Kurdistan. Kurdish authorities say the UN report lacks first-hand information on many alleged cases of violation. "This report is not precise in its investigations because in some cases it has relied on media reports or on reports released by other organisations," Dindar Zebari, Kurdistan Regional Government's coordinator for UN Affairs told IPS.
Zebari said his government has passed new laws and implemented reforms in government institutions in order to improve human rights conditions in the three provinces of Arbil, Sulaimaniya and Dohuk under its control. "We have exerted a lot of efforts to stop violence against women. For example, people convicted of honour killing will not be eligible for general amnesties," Zebari said.
But rights activists in Kurdistan hold quite contrary views. Rebin Rasul Ismael, a human rights activist from Arbil, believes the UN report is inaccurate because "it has failed to mention all the violations in Kurdistan, and has only mentioned the prominent and outstanding ones. "The current reality shows that human rights conditions (here) are very bad, and I am not optimistic about the future of human rights in Kurdistan and Iraq," Ismael told IPS.
Honour killings, he said, are no longer a few isolated incidents, "but have reached a level that now women are generally under a big threat in Kurdistan." The UN figures warn of deteriorating living conditions for women in the north. In Arbil province alone 358 women have burnt themselves to death since 2003. Another 218 have tried to do so. The prime reason is increasing pressure from male members of the family, the report says.
Another cause for concern given in the report is the conditions of prisoners, especially those arrested on suspicion of terrorism. Several journalists have been arrested by security services over the past few years. Others have been threatened or beaten by unknown persons.
Labels: Dindar Zebari, honour killings, human rights violation, KRG, Kurdistan, UNAMI
