Tag Archives | Human rights

Human Rights Recommendations from Iraqi Youth

By John Lee. The United Nations reports that, based on the conference held in Baghdad on 9th December, Iraqi youth recommend the following to the Iraqi Government: Fair Trial To establish an independent judicial board to investigate cases that were decided based on vague evidence and to ensure public re-trial. To abolish the practice of […]

A Tool to Improve Human Rights in Iraq

UNAMI Human Rights Office and UNDP organized a 3-day workshop in Erbil, in preparation for the upcoming Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in 2014. This was the second of a series of workshops which aimed at bringing together representatives of civil society organizations and, for the first time, members of the Iraqi High Commission for Human […]

Human Rights and Democracy Report

The UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office has issuued the following update on human rights and democracy in Iraq: We remain concerned by the deteriorating security situation in Iraq and the increasing frequency of coordinated attacks. According to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq, almost 3,000 people were killed in acts of terrorism between July […]

UNAMI Urges Iraq to Halt Executions

By John Lee. The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) has called on Iraq to halt all executions and commute the sentences of hundreds of people sentenced to death: UNAMI notes with concern that between 8 and 9 October, 42 people sentenced to death were executed, among them one woman, as confirmed by the Ministry […]

Amnesty International Urges Halt to Executions

All executions in Iraq must be halted immediately, Amnesty International urged after 13 men were executed in Baghdad. The organization has been able to confirm the names of nine of the men, who were executed on 22 September following death sentences imposed after unfair trials and based on “confessions” allegedly extracted under torture. Four others […]

US Deputy Secretary Visits Iraq

Deputy Secretary Bill Burns (pictured) traveled June 28-30 to Baghdad, Iraq for meetings with Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki and other Iraqi leaders. These meetings allowed them to discuss the full range of bilateral and regional issues, including the ongoing crisis in Syria. In all of his meetings, the Deputy Secretary reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to […]

Capacity Building for Human Rights in Najaf

The UNAMI Human Rights Office (HRO) held the second in a series of two workshops in Najaf on 19-20 March to build and strengthen the capacity of 30 civil society organizations (CSOs) from Najaf and Diwaniya governorates to conduct human rights monitoring in their respective locations. Funded through UNAMI’s Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) programme, the […]

Iraq: "A Broken Justice System"

Iraq’s leadership used draconian measures against opposition politicians, detainees, demonstrators, and journalists, effectively squeezing the space for independent civil society and political freedoms in Iraq, Human Rights Watch said in its World Report 2013. The number of violent civilian deaths in Iraq increased in 2012, for the first time since 2009. Thousands of civilians and […]

US Embassy Commemorates Int'l Human Rights

U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Stephen Beecroft (pictured) hosted a reception at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad to commemorate International Human Rights. The event was attended by members of the Council of Representatives’ Human Rights Committee, members of the Independent High Commission for Human Rights, civil society figures, and representatives from the international and diplomatic community. […]

UN Rep on Human Rights in Iraq

Speech of the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General at the MOHR Conference, National Centre for Human Rights, Baghdad 19 December 2012. Minister for Human Rights, Engineer Shiya Al Sudaani, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am honoured to be here with you today for the publication of the Ministry of Human Rights’ report on implementation […]

Progress on Human Rights, But Problems Remain

The respect and protection of human rights in Iraq remains fragile as the country continues its transition from years of conflict and violence to peace and democracy, says the United Nations in its most recent Report on Human Rights in Iraq, which covers the period from 1 January to 30 June 2012. Violence remains of […]

As Paul Bremmer Wanted Them To Be

The following article was published by Reidar Visser, an historian of Iraq educated at the University of Oxford and currently based at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs. It is reproduced here with the author’s permission. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. […]