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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 and September with many more wounded. We have publicly condemned these attacks, the majority of which target civilians, and are often in places of worship or at markets.
On 21 July coordinated attacks on Abu Ghraib prison, on the western outskirts of Baghdad, and Taji prison, 12 miles north of the city, resulted in the escape of several hundred prisoners, most of whom were believed to be convicted terrorists affiliated with Al-Qaeda in Iraq. The then Minister for the Middle East, Alistair Burt, made a statement on 23 July condemning the attack.
This incident, and the increase in terrorist attacks, has led to a resumption of executions in Iraq. On 19 August, 17 prisoners were executed, of which 16 were for terrorism-related convictions. On 22 September, 13 people were executed, and on 26 September a further ten prisoners were executed, mostly for terrorism-related convictions.
This all follows a suspension of the use of the death penalty by the government in April this year in response to protests taking place in Western Iraq. HM Ambassador to Iraq formally raised our serious concerns about the resumption of executions with the Iraqi Foreign Minister, and on 22 August the EU High Representative Baroness Ashton issued a statement of concern on behalf of EU Member States, and urged the government of Iraq to move towards a moratorium.
On 31 August a number of individuals protesting in Nasiriyah and Baghdad were assaulted and detained by police. This followed reports that several provinces had refused to issue permits allowing people to protest. On 2 August Iraqi Security Forces in Baghdad are reported to have detained 13 people to prevent them from protesting against corruption and the deteriorating security situation in the country. Some of those detained also claim they were assaulted by security forces. We share Human Rights Watch’s concerns about this incident, and the government of Iraq’s use of regulations which allow police to prevent peaceful protest. We are also concerned by reports that Iraqi Security Forces raided Baghdadiya TV station offices on 13 September.
Iraq’s ethnic and religious minority communities continued to be targeted by extremists during this period. On 12 July an explosion in a coffee shop in Kirkuk left 30 members of the Turkmen community dead. On 14 September at least 23 members of the Shabak community were killed following an attack on a funeral in the village of Arto Kharab near Mosul.
On 1 September an attack on the residents of Camp Ashraf left 52 people dead. The UK publicly condemned this attack, and we call on the Iraqi government to honour its subsequent commitment to conduct an open and transparent investigation. We welcome the transfer of the surviving residents to Camp Liberty and urge the government of Iraq to take the necessary steps to ensure the safety of residents at Camp Liberty. We also note that UN monitors have reported human rights concerns inside the camp, including denial of medical care by the camp leadership, restrictions on movement, expression, contact with others and access to information.
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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 and September with many more wounded. We have publicly condemned these attacks, the majority of which target civilians, and are often in places of worship or at markets.
On 21 July coordinated attacks on Abu Ghraib prison, on the western outskirts of Baghdad, and Taji prison, 12 miles north of the city, resulted in the escape of several hundred prisoners, most of whom were believed to be convicted terrorists affiliated with Al-Qaeda in Iraq. The then Minister for the Middle East, Alistair Burt, made a statement on 23 July condemning the attack.
This incident, and the increase in terrorist attacks, has led to a resumption of executions in Iraq. On 19 August, 17 prisoners were executed, of which 16 were for terrorism-related convictions. On 22 September, 13 people were executed, and on 26 September a further ten prisoners were executed, mostly for terrorism-related convictions.
This all follows a suspension of the use of the death penalty by the government in April this year in response to protests taking place in Western Iraq. HM Ambassador to Iraq formally raised our serious concerns about the resumption of executions with the Iraqi Foreign Minister, and on 22 August the EU High Representative Baroness Ashton issued a statement of concern on behalf of EU Member States, and urged the government of Iraq to move towards a moratorium.
On 31 August a number of individuals protesting in Nasiriyah and Baghdad were assaulted and detained by police. This followed reports that several provinces had refused to issue permits allowing people to protest. On 2 August Iraqi Security Forces in Baghdad are reported to have detained 13 people to prevent them from protesting against corruption and the deteriorating security situation in the country. Some of those detained also claim they were assaulted by security forces. We share Human Rights Watch’s concerns about this incident, and the government of Iraq’s use of regulations which allow police to prevent peaceful protest. We are also concerned by reports that Iraqi Security Forces raided Baghdadiya TV station offices on 13 September.
Iraq’s ethnic and religious minority communities continued to be targeted by extremists during this period. On 12 July an explosion in a coffee shop in Kirkuk left 30 members of the Turkmen community dead. On 14 September at least 23 members of the Shabak community were killed following an attack on a funeral in the village of Arto Kharab near Mosul.
On 1 September an attack on the residents of Camp Ashraf left 52 people dead. The UK publicly condemned this attack, and we call on the Iraqi government to honour its subsequent commitment to conduct an open and transparent investigation. We welcome the transfer of the surviving residents to Camp Liberty and urge the government of Iraq to take the necessary steps to ensure the safety of residents at Camp Liberty. We also note that UN monitors have reported human rights concerns inside the camp, including denial of medical care by the camp leadership, restrictions on movement, expression, contact with others and access to information.
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