By Belkis Wille, for Human Rights Watch (HRW). Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Despite Prime Minister's Promises, Disappearances Continue in Iraq Since I started covering Iraq for Human Rights Watch in 2016, enforced disappearances have been one of my main areas […]
Iraqi lawmakers are considering a draft law on information technology crimes that could be used to stifle free expression, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said this week. It says the bill includes vague provisions that will allow Iraqi authorities to harshly punish expression they decide constitutes a threat to governmental, social, or religious interests. More here. […]
By John Lee. Iraqi authorities should fulfill a commitment to locate victims of enforced disappearance and ensure that those responsible are held accountable, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Monday. Since taking office in May 2020, Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi announced that his government was creating a new mechanism to locate victims of enforced disappearances, […]
Submission by Human Rights Watch to the UN Human Rights Committee in advance of its review of Iraq This memorandum provides an overview of Human Rights Watch's main concerns with respect to the human rights situation in Iraq, submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Committee in advance of its review of Iraq in October-November […]
By John Lee. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is preventing about 1,200 Arab families from returning home to 5 villages more than 6 years after the area was retaken from the Islamic State (also known as ISIS), Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Sunday. KRG authorities have allowed Kurdish residents in neighboring villages, in the […]
By John Lee. As decades of war and occupation come to an end, Iraqis are confronting their new era head on. A massive wave of protests across the country demanding an end to corruption and respect for human rights toppled the government in 2019. With a new prime minister in place who speaks directly to […]
By John Lee. A spike in violations of the right to free expression during widespread protests at the end of the former government's term in office and during the Covid-19 pandemic underscores the need for Iraq's new government to reform its laws, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report released on Monday. Iraqi authorities, […]
By John Lee. The Iraqi government and parliament should pass legislation to address key human rights shortcomings in Iraq's legal system and take measures to minimize the risks Covid-19 poses to people in prison, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Thursday. With the formation of Iraq's government on May 7, 2020, parliament can now focus […]
By John Lee. Iraqi authorities ramped up violent tactics to quash ongoing protests across Baghdad and southern Iraq between January 25 and 27, 2020, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Friday. Security forces set fire to protesters’ tents, fired live ammunition, and detained protesters in Baghdad, Basra, and Nasriya. Human Rights Watch was unable to […]
By John Lee. Human Rights Watch (HRW). has issued a report on human rights in Iraq, as part of its World Report 2020. Click here to download the report. (Source: HRW)
As protests in Iraq enter their third month, the numbers of arrests, abductions, and killings of protesters continue to rise, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW). But instead of protecting the demonstrators mostly peacefully protesting on Iraq’s streets, some security forces are the ones attacking and killing them. Prime Minister Adil Abd Al-Mahdi had promised […]
At least seven people, including a boy of 16, were reported missing since October 7 from or near Baghdad’s Tahrir Square, where they were participating in ongoing protests in Iraq’s capital, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Monday. Four were still missing as of December 2. The families said they visited police stations and government […]
