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, 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
