Friday, October 12, 2007
U.N. says PSC shootings could amount to war crimes
U.N.
(AP) -- U.N. officials in Iraq stepped up pressure on the United States on Thursday to prosecute any unjustified killings of Iraqi civilians by private security contractors, saying such killings could amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity if "done in cold blood." While Americans are unlikely to face such charges, the words served as a harsh rebuke as outrage spreads over what many Iraqis perceive as overly aggressive behavior of the heavily armed foreigners protecting U.S. government-funded work.
"For us, it's a human rights issue," said Ivana Vuco, a human rights officer with the U.N. Assistance Mission to Iraq, or UNAMI. "We will monitor the allegations of killings by security contractors and look into whether or not crimes against humanity and war crimes have been committed." The warnings followed two high-profile cases of shooting incidents involving private contractors on the streets of Baghdad.
Arikat spoke as UNAMI released its quarterly human rights report, which warns that increasing reliance on heavily armed teams in Iraq risks eroding the distinction between civilians and combatants. It notes several reports of "killings carried out by privately hired contractors with security-related functions in support of U.S. government authorities."
"For us, it's a human rights issue," said Ivana Vuco, a human rights officer with the U.N. Assistance Mission to Iraq, or UNAMI. "We will monitor the allegations of killings by security contractors and look into whether or not crimes against humanity and war crimes have been committed." The warnings followed two high-profile cases of shooting incidents involving private contractors on the streets of Baghdad.
Arikat spoke as UNAMI released its quarterly human rights report, which warns that increasing reliance on heavily armed teams in Iraq risks eroding the distinction between civilians and combatants. It notes several reports of "killings carried out by privately hired contractors with security-related functions in support of U.S. government authorities."
It is unclear how far the United Nations could go in pressing the issue of war crimes or even calls for prosecution under U.S. law. The U.N.'s influence in Iraq plummeted after it was forced to withdraw most of its staff from the country following two bombings in 2003, including one that struck its Baghdad headquarters and killed a top U.N. envoy and 21 other workers. The mission returned in 2004 with a limited staff, but its role here remains highly sensitive.
But the world body is still viewed by most Iraqis as a more neutral party, and Thursday's warnings likely were meant to invoke that position of moral authority. Vuco said international humanitarian rights law applies equally to contractors who work for the mostly Western firms providing security to diplomats and aid groups as it does to other parties in a conflict.
But the world body is still viewed by most Iraqis as a more neutral party, and Thursday's warnings likely were meant to invoke that position of moral authority. Vuco said international humanitarian rights law applies equally to contractors who work for the mostly Western firms providing security to diplomats and aid groups as it does to other parties in a conflict.
Labels: human rights, Ivana Vuco, private security companies, UNAMI, war crimes
Thursday, August 30, 2007
U.N. reports cholera outbreak in northern Iraq
Health
(CNN) -- More than 2,000 Iraqis in the northern part of the country have contracted cholera, U.N. officials say, citing local authorities. The outbreak of the potentially deadly disease is thought to be the result of poor water quality, the U.N. officials said. "Local authorities report that over 2,000 people have been affected so far by the outbreak, with five deaths reported and 500 patients admitted to hospital with severe diarrhea within the last two days alone," the U.N. Children's Fund, or UNICEF, said on Wednesday.
Forty-seven cases have been confirmed as epidemic cholera, but the number is expected to grow, said UNICEF, which has rushed emergency aid to the affected area. The outbreak has hit the Sulaimaniya province and the nearby Kirkuk region in northern Iraq. "Although the outbreak is largely affecting adults, children are at extremely high risk," UNICEF said.
Cholera is a bacterial ailment that affects the intestinal tract. The disease is contracted by consuming contaminated water. The outbreak is being attributed to "serious problems with water quality and sewage treatment" -- an assessment repeated by the U.N. Assistance Mission in Iraq. Only 30 percent of the population in Sulaimaniya has an adequate water supply, according to local reports, and "many people have been reduced to digging shallow wells outside their own homes," UNICEF said.
UNICEF is urging families to make sure children stay away from areas contaminated with raw sewage, wash their hands with soap and drink only water that has been purified or boiled. UNICEF is providing material such as oral rehydration salts and safe water kits. "If the epidemic spreads, there will be an urgent need for additional support," UNICEF said.
Forty-seven cases have been confirmed as epidemic cholera, but the number is expected to grow, said UNICEF, which has rushed emergency aid to the affected area. The outbreak has hit the Sulaimaniya province and the nearby Kirkuk region in northern Iraq. "Although the outbreak is largely affecting adults, children are at extremely high risk," UNICEF said.
Cholera is a bacterial ailment that affects the intestinal tract. The disease is contracted by consuming contaminated water. The outbreak is being attributed to "serious problems with water quality and sewage treatment" -- an assessment repeated by the U.N. Assistance Mission in Iraq. Only 30 percent of the population in Sulaimaniya has an adequate water supply, according to local reports, and "many people have been reduced to digging shallow wells outside their own homes," UNICEF said.
UNICEF is urging families to make sure children stay away from areas contaminated with raw sewage, wash their hands with soap and drink only water that has been purified or boiled. UNICEF is providing material such as oral rehydration salts and safe water kits. "If the epidemic spreads, there will be an urgent need for additional support," UNICEF said.
Labels: cholera, epidemic, Kirkuk, northern Iraq, Sulaimaniya province, UNAMI, UNICEF
Friday, August 10, 2007
U.N. to expand political role in Iraq
U.N.
(Reuters) - The United Nations will see its role in Iraq expanded to include seeking reconciliation between warring factions and dialogue with neighboring countries under a Security Council resolution planned for Friday. A new mandate for the 4-year-old U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq, or UNAMI, will add to its past functions of helping with elections and monitoring human rights and require a boost to its modest staffing in Baghdad.
The resolution was drafted by the United States and Britain, which invaded Iraq in 2003 and toppled Saddam Hussein. Despite deep divisions in the Security Council at the time over the invasion, the new measure is set to pass unopposed. Washington's U.N. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said this week the United Nations was uniquely placed to smooth over conflicts between Shi'ites, Sunnis and Kurds that have bedeviled Iraqi politics and fueled rampant violence.
Some major Iraqi players, such as top Shi'ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, were willing to talk to the United Nations but not the United States or Britain, said Khalilzad, formerly U.S. envoy to Baghdad. By coincidence the new mandate will come amid a fresh political crisis in Iraq, with nearly half the cabinet having quit, or boycotting meetings.
There are currently only some 50 UNAMI international staff in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone government and diplomatic complex, and a ceiling of 65. Security improvements are due to raise that ceiling to 95, U.N. officials say. U.S. and British officials have denied that their aim is to offload Iraq's political problems onto the United Nations, then pull their forces out.
The resolution was drafted by the United States and Britain, which invaded Iraq in 2003 and toppled Saddam Hussein. Despite deep divisions in the Security Council at the time over the invasion, the new measure is set to pass unopposed. Washington's U.N. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said this week the United Nations was uniquely placed to smooth over conflicts between Shi'ites, Sunnis and Kurds that have bedeviled Iraqi politics and fueled rampant violence.
Some major Iraqi players, such as top Shi'ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, were willing to talk to the United Nations but not the United States or Britain, said Khalilzad, formerly U.S. envoy to Baghdad. By coincidence the new mandate will come amid a fresh political crisis in Iraq, with nearly half the cabinet having quit, or boycotting meetings.
There are currently only some 50 UNAMI international staff in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone government and diplomatic complex, and a ceiling of 65. Security improvements are due to raise that ceiling to 95, U.N. officials say. U.S. and British officials have denied that their aim is to offload Iraq's political problems onto the United Nations, then pull their forces out.
But while Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon endorsed the U.N. role expansion at a meeting last month with U.S. President George W. Bush, some U.N. rank-and-file staff are concerned that safety issues have not been fully addressed. The new resolution was originally slated to be passed on Thursday but was delayed because the text still needed Iraqi government approval, U.N. diplomats said. It must go through on Friday, the day UNAMI's current mandate expires.
The new mandate requires UNAMI to "advise, support and assist" Iraqis on "advancing an inclusive, national dialogue and political reconciliation," reviewing the constitution, fixing internal boundaries and staging a census. The mission would promote dialogue between Iraq and its neighbors on border security, energy and refugees, assist the return of millions who have fled the violence, coordinate reconstruction and aid, and help promote economic reform.
The new mandate requires UNAMI to "advise, support and assist" Iraqis on "advancing an inclusive, national dialogue and political reconciliation," reviewing the constitution, fixing internal boundaries and staging a census. The mission would promote dialogue between Iraq and its neighbors on border security, energy and refugees, assist the return of millions who have fled the violence, coordinate reconstruction and aid, and help promote economic reform.
Labels: Iraq, reconciliation, U.N., UNAMI
Thursday, August 09, 2007
U.N. staff pass resolution not to increase members in Iraq
U.N.
(IPS) - The U.N. Staff Council, representing 25,000 staff members, unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday calling on Secretary General Ban Ki-moon not to deploy any additional staff members to Iraq and to remove those currently serving at the duty station in Baghdad. The resolution cites the "unacceptably high level of risk to the safety and security of U.N. personnel currently serving in Iraq," and stresses that, "the breakdown of law and order in Iraq has created a place where aid workers have become targets and pawns."
"The security situation in Iraq is getting worse every day," Emad Hassanin, first vice president of the Staff Union, told IPS. Against this backdrop, the U.S. and Britain are circulating a draft resolution aimed at expanding the U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).
"The U.N. needs to play an enhanced role in helping Iraqis at the present time," Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., told reporters here. "This is a very important issue, the issue of Iraq for the region, for the country, and for the world and therefore the U.N. needs to play a bigger role and help Iraqis," Khalilzad said. "One of the advantages of the U.N. is that it can reach out to many groups and some groups that do not want to talk to other external players are willing to talk to the U.N.," Khalilzad said, pointing out that, "Ayatollah Sistani, one of the influential figures of Iraq did not speak to the U.S./UK reps but does engage with the U.N. envoy."
"We are on a very strong effort to increase the numbers of international staff in Iraq," B. Lynne Pascoe, U.N. under-secretary-general for political affairs, said after briefing the Security Council Tuesday. "The current ceiling is 65. I think by the fall, by October, we'll be up to about 95," he said. Asked about a timetable for the withdrawal of the U.S. troops to go hand in hand with the expansion of the U.N. role, Khalilzad said, "We understand that the issue of the coalition presence is an issue on which Iraqis disagree. But I also know, you all know that I was in Iraq for almost two years, that no community in Iraq would like a precipitous U.S. withdrawal."
"The U.S. has been talking about a 'new and important role' for the U.N. in Iraq, as part of a public relations campaign about how things are getting better, stability is just around the corner, and so on," James Paul, executive director of the Global Policy Forum in New York, told IPS. "But in fact, the security environment is deteriorating there and the U.N. cannot operate safely or effectively."
"The U.N. Security Council is closing its eyes to the reality of the world's most serious security and humanitarian crisis," Paul continued, stressing that, "There is astounding neglect of the real situation in Iraq." Four million Iraqi refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) have left their homes as sectarian fighting has spread through the country. The U.N. estimates that more than 100,000 people are fleeing Iraq each month. "Iraq is far from being stable," an Asian diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity told IPS. "With the incidence of bombings daily, there is an appalling humanitarian problem," the diplomat stressed.
The Security Council is expected to vote on the UNAMI resolution on Thursday. Some Security Council delegations, including Belgium, France, Indonesia and South Africa, have reportedly raised concerns with the draft which was circulated on Aug. 1, just nine days before the expiration of the current resolution on Aug. 10.
Labels: B. Lynne Pascoe, Emad Hassanin, Global Policy Forum, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, U.N. Staff Council, UNAMI, UNSC, Zalmay Khalilzad
Friday, August 03, 2007
UNSC Iraq resolution may be approved soon
U.N.
(Al Jazeera) - A draft UN Security Council resolution to expand the world body's mandate in Iraq is expected to be approved soon. The draft sponsored by the US and Britain will give the UN scope to help promote political reconciliation, settle disputed internal boundaries, and plan for a national census. "I think it will get voted early next week," Emyr Jones Parry, Britain's ambassador to the UN, said. "There's no problem on it - it's straight forward."
Britain circulated the resolution to the other Security Council members on Wednesday and council experts went over the text. The experts were expected to meet again on Friday. Russia signalled its assent on Thursday, making approval by the Security Council almost certain. Vitaly Churkin, Russia's UN ambassador, said on Thursday that "it's overall a good draft ... I don't see any basic problems."
Britain circulated the resolution to the other Security Council members on Wednesday and council experts went over the text. The experts were expected to meet again on Friday. Russia signalled its assent on Thursday, making approval by the Security Council almost certain. Vitaly Churkin, Russia's UN ambassador, said on Thursday that "it's overall a good draft ... I don't see any basic problems."
The UN secretary-general has been under pressure from the US to expand the world body's role in Iraq. Ban Ki-moon said in June he would consider it, but said deteriorating security in Iraq was an obstacle. The small UN Mission in Iraq has helped to organise elections, promote a national dialogue, and develop institutions for representative government. Its current mandate expires next Friday.
The draft would extend the mission's mandate for a year and authorise it to help organise reintegration programmes for former combatants, assist the return of refugees and displaced people, and promote economic reform and the development of an effective civil service and social services for the Iraqi people.
It would also be asked to promote human rights and judicial and legal reforms "in order to strengthen the rule of law" and to assist the government "on initial planning for a comprehensive census". Kofi Annan, the former secretary-general, pulled all UN international staff out of Iraq in October 2003 after a spate of attacks on humanitarian workers and two bombings at UN headquarters in Baghdad killed dozens, including the top UN envoy, Sergio Vieira de Mello.
In August 2004, Annan allowed a small U.N. contingent to return to Baghdad and imposed a ceiling of 35 international workers, which has steadily increased but remains relatively low because of the security situation.
The new mandate, if approved, would come as the situation in Iraq continues to deteriorate. Besides daily violence, residents in Baghdad have had their taps run dry at the height of summer when temperatures are close to 50 degrees celsius. Residents and city officials said on Thursday that large sections in the west of the capital had been virtually dry for six days because the already strained electricity grid could not provide sufficient power to run water purification and pumping stations.
The problem highlights the larger difficulties in a capital beset by violence, crumbling infrastructure, rampant crime and too little electricity to keep cool in the sweltering weather more than four years after the US-led invasion.
The draft would extend the mission's mandate for a year and authorise it to help organise reintegration programmes for former combatants, assist the return of refugees and displaced people, and promote economic reform and the development of an effective civil service and social services for the Iraqi people.
It would also be asked to promote human rights and judicial and legal reforms "in order to strengthen the rule of law" and to assist the government "on initial planning for a comprehensive census". Kofi Annan, the former secretary-general, pulled all UN international staff out of Iraq in October 2003 after a spate of attacks on humanitarian workers and two bombings at UN headquarters in Baghdad killed dozens, including the top UN envoy, Sergio Vieira de Mello.
In August 2004, Annan allowed a small U.N. contingent to return to Baghdad and imposed a ceiling of 35 international workers, which has steadily increased but remains relatively low because of the security situation.
The new mandate, if approved, would come as the situation in Iraq continues to deteriorate. Besides daily violence, residents in Baghdad have had their taps run dry at the height of summer when temperatures are close to 50 degrees celsius. Residents and city officials said on Thursday that large sections in the west of the capital had been virtually dry for six days because the already strained electricity grid could not provide sufficient power to run water purification and pumping stations.
The problem highlights the larger difficulties in a capital beset by violence, crumbling infrastructure, rampant crime and too little electricity to keep cool in the sweltering weather more than four years after the US-led invasion.
Labels: draft resolution, electricity, Emyr Jones Parry, Russia, UNAMI, UNSC, water
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
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
20 per cent drop in civilian deaths in Iraq in April
Security
(Reuters) - Violence in Iraq killed 1,506 civilians in April, nearly a 20 percent drop from the previous month, Iraqi government figures showed on Tuesday. A U.S.-backed security crackdown in Baghdad has helped reduce some violence in the city, such as sectarian death squad killings. But militants, especially al Qaeda, have sought to step up attacks outside the capital.
The figures were compiled by the interior, defense and health ministries and obtained by Reuters. The number of civilians killed in March was 1,861 from 1,645 in February. The Baghdad security plan aims to reduce sectarian violence in the capital and its surrounding areas to give the Shi'ite-led government the chance to make progress on national reconciliation with minority Sunni Arabs.
In April, 130 Iraqi policemen and 63 Iraqi soldiers were killed, the data showed. April has been a bad month for U.S. soldiers in Iraq, with 104 killed, making it one of the deadliest months since the invasion in 2003. The Iraqi data showed nearly 3,000 militants were detained during the month. Civilian casualty numbers are a sensitive issue in Iraq.
The United Nations last week accused Iraq of withholding figures for this year because the government feared the data would be used to paint a "very grim" picture of the country. The criticism was contained in a new U.N. human rights report on Iraq which drew fire from U.S. officials in Baghdad and the Iraqi government. They said it was flawed and contained numerous inaccuracies.
The figures were compiled by the interior, defense and health ministries and obtained by Reuters. The number of civilians killed in March was 1,861 from 1,645 in February. The Baghdad security plan aims to reduce sectarian violence in the capital and its surrounding areas to give the Shi'ite-led government the chance to make progress on national reconciliation with minority Sunni Arabs.
In April, 130 Iraqi policemen and 63 Iraqi soldiers were killed, the data showed. April has been a bad month for U.S. soldiers in Iraq, with 104 killed, making it one of the deadliest months since the invasion in 2003. The Iraqi data showed nearly 3,000 militants were detained during the month. Civilian casualty numbers are a sensitive issue in Iraq.
The United Nations last week accused Iraq of withholding figures for this year because the government feared the data would be used to paint a "very grim" picture of the country. The criticism was contained in a new U.N. human rights report on Iraq which drew fire from U.S. officials in Baghdad and the Iraqi government. They said it was flawed and contained numerous inaccuracies.
Officials from the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) said they were given no official reason why their requests for specific official data had been turned down. In January, UNAMI said 34,452 Iraqi civilians were killed in 2006, figures that were much higher than any statistics issued by the government.
Labels: civilian deaths, Iraq violence, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Interior, UNAMI
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Kurdistan criticised by UNAMI for human rights abuse
Human Rights
(AP) - The United Nations has rebuked Kurdish authorities over their treatment of journalists and detainees in a rare critical assessment of the human rights situation in the oil-rich northern autonomous region that has been hailed as a success story in Iraq.
The U.N. Assistance Mission in Iraq singled out Kurdistan in its 10th human rights report on Iraq, expressing concern over infringements on freedom of expression by the regional government. "Authorities continued to subject journalists to harassment, arrest and legal actions for their reporting on government corruption, poor public services or other issues of public interest," the report said.
The report, which was released Wednesday, also criticized Kurdish security forces, saying hundreds of detainees have been held for prolonged periods, "some for several years", without charge or due process. The report added that the mission has received allegations of the torture or ill-treatment of detainees. Fouad Mohammad, the regional human rights minister, said the report exaggerated the violations and he complained that he was not contacted about the cases.
The human rights report acknowledged the stable security situation but noted abuses in other areas. The report said most arrests of journalists were carried out by a unit that has jurisdiction over economic crimes such as smuggling, espionage and terrorism. The report also expressed concern about the situation of detainees in the area, saying the majority had been arrested on suspicion of involvement in terrorism and other serious crimes, with many accused of being supporters of Islamist groups.
A prominent Kurdish politician acknowledged shortcomings and said efforts were being made to improve them. Mahmoud Othman said journalists were allowed to criticize government officials but restrictions were aimed at preventing slander.
The U.N. Assistance Mission in Iraq singled out Kurdistan in its 10th human rights report on Iraq, expressing concern over infringements on freedom of expression by the regional government. "Authorities continued to subject journalists to harassment, arrest and legal actions for their reporting on government corruption, poor public services or other issues of public interest," the report said.
The report, which was released Wednesday, also criticized Kurdish security forces, saying hundreds of detainees have been held for prolonged periods, "some for several years", without charge or due process. The report added that the mission has received allegations of the torture or ill-treatment of detainees. Fouad Mohammad, the regional human rights minister, said the report exaggerated the violations and he complained that he was not contacted about the cases.
The human rights report acknowledged the stable security situation but noted abuses in other areas. The report said most arrests of journalists were carried out by a unit that has jurisdiction over economic crimes such as smuggling, espionage and terrorism. The report also expressed concern about the situation of detainees in the area, saying the majority had been arrested on suspicion of involvement in terrorism and other serious crimes, with many accused of being supporters of Islamist groups.
A prominent Kurdish politician acknowledged shortcomings and said efforts were being made to improve them. Mahmoud Othman said journalists were allowed to criticize government officials but restrictions were aimed at preventing slander.
Labels: detainees, Fouad Mohammad, human rights, journalists, Kurdistan, Mahmoud Othman, U.N., UNAMI
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
UNAMI - civilian casualties high in Baghdad despite security operation
Security, U.N., Human Rights
(AP) - Sectarian violence continued to claim the lives of a large number of Iraqi civilians in Sunni Arab and Shiite neighborhoods of Iraq's capital, despite the coalition's new Baghdad security plan, the U.N. said Wednesday. In its first human rights report since the security plan was launched on Feb. 14, with increasing U.S. and Iraqi troops levels in the capital, the U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) said civilian casualties in the daily violence between January and March remained high, concentrated in and around Baghdad.
UNAMI also said that for the first time since it began issuing quarterly reports on the human rights situation in Iraq, the new Jan. 1 through March 31 report did not contain overall death figures from Iraq's Ministry of Health because it refused to release them. The U.N. agency said the reason appeared to be that after the publication of its last human rights report on Jan. 16, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's office told UNAMI its mortality figures were exaggerated, "although they were in fact official figures compiled and provided by a government ministry."
"While government officials claimed an initial drop in the number of killings in the latter half of February following the launch of the Baghdad security plan, the number of reported casualties rose again in March," the UNAMI study said. Despite the government's announced decrease, the number of victims remained high, with up to 25 bodies still being found on some days during this period in Baghdad, the report said.
On March 1, it said, Iraq's Ministry of Interior announced that 1,646 civilians were killed in Iraq in February, most of them in Baghdad, but that "it is unclear on what basis these figures were compiled." UNAMI said that even though its current report's evidence cannot be numerically substantiated with government figures, it shows continued high levels of violence throughout the period, including large scale indiscriminate killings and assassinations by insurgents, militias and other armed groups.
UNAMI also said that for the first time since it began issuing quarterly reports on the human rights situation in Iraq, the new Jan. 1 through March 31 report did not contain overall death figures from Iraq's Ministry of Health because it refused to release them. The U.N. agency said the reason appeared to be that after the publication of its last human rights report on Jan. 16, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's office told UNAMI its mortality figures were exaggerated, "although they were in fact official figures compiled and provided by a government ministry."
"While government officials claimed an initial drop in the number of killings in the latter half of February following the launch of the Baghdad security plan, the number of reported casualties rose again in March," the UNAMI study said. Despite the government's announced decrease, the number of victims remained high, with up to 25 bodies still being found on some days during this period in Baghdad, the report said.
On March 1, it said, Iraq's Ministry of Interior announced that 1,646 civilians were killed in Iraq in February, most of them in Baghdad, but that "it is unclear on what basis these figures were compiled." UNAMI said that even though its current report's evidence cannot be numerically substantiated with government figures, it shows continued high levels of violence throughout the period, including large scale indiscriminate killings and assassinations by insurgents, militias and other armed groups.
Labels: Baghdad, human rights, Ministry of Health, Operation Fardh al-Qanoon, sectarian violence, U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq, UNAMI
