15,000 Killed Since January – UN report

“A significant number were taken to a location near the [Tikrit] Palace in a valley near the river and systematically shot as they lay in trenches that had been dug by bulldozers. Others were taken to a location near the river and were shot there, and their bodies thrown into the river,” the report says. It also cites one interviewee who “claimed to have seen a pile of decapitated bodies in a bathroom” in the former presidential palace in Tikrit, and others who said they were kept in “holes.”

“The magnitude and brutality of the Camp Speicher massacre was exceptional,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, noting the continuing anguish of the relatives of the victims who continue to stage protests demanding more action by the Iraqi authorities.

“It is important to recognize the plight of the survivors and the families of victims and their courage in refusing to let the issue of what happened be set aside,” he said.

The High Commissioner asked the authorities to ensure that any trials conducted in connection with this massacre are competent, independent and impartial, and respect due process and international fair trial standards. While ensuring that there will be no impunity for terrorist acts, he stressed the need to conduct trials without prejudice to the rights of suspects.

Effective criminal prosecution in compliance with international standards is fundamental to ensure that justice is done, and is seen to be done, both for the victims of crimes and for those accused of perpetrating them.

Zeid once again urged the Iraqi Government to join the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court or to accept the exercise of its jurisdiction with respect to the current situation in the country.

The full report is available at: http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/IQ/UNAMI_OHCHR_4th_POCReport-11Dec2014-30April2015.pdf

(Source: UNAMI)