Government must accompany human rights rhetoric with meaningful action

© Iraqi Parliament / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

The new government of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al Sudani must break the shortcomings of previous governments with regard to justice, truth and reparation, and must address the widespread human rights violations in Iraq. This was stated today by Amnesty International in a open letter.

The Prime Minister has publicly committed on at least two occasions to protect public liberties and human rights. However, less than a few months have elapsed since his government came to power, the Ministry of the Interior has established new mechanisms to monitor “indecent content” on social media, which has already led to six people being sentenced to prison by courts for exercising their right to freedom of expression.

The organization has urged the government to ensure significant progress in the stalled process of accountability for the crackdown on protests in 2019 and to prioritize long-delayed issues such as access to livelihoods for displaced people, gender-based violence and the imposition of death sentences after unfair trials.

“What really measures a government’s commitment to human rights is not the promises it makes, but the actions it takes. The people of Iraq deserve more than empty rhetoric and an endless cycle of abuses,” said Aya Majzoub, Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

“It is a worrying sign that, after just a few months in office, the Al Sudani government has launched a campaign to crack down on ‘indecent content’ on the web, leading to prosecutions of people who have posted videos. harmless pictures of themselves dancing and making jokes. Meanwhile, those responsible for serious crimes such as kidnappings, torture and killings committed in the context of the October 2019 protests have yet to be brought to justice.”

Repression of the right to freedom of expression

In January 2023, the Home Office established a committee to monitor what it considers to be “indecent” content on social media and to refer people for prosecution under articles of the Penal Code that criminalize acts of “public indecency”. It also established “Balgh” (complaint, in Arabic), a platform where people can report social media content that “violates public morality, contains negative and indecent messages, and undermines social stability.”

The committee has referred at least 16 cases for criminal investigation by the judicial authorities, some of them coming from the “Balgh” platform. Criminal courts have already sentenced six people to prison for their social media posts, and are investigating another eight. the AFP has reported that some of the people prosecuted were known for creating music and comedy related content.

Criminal courts continue to prosecute people for expressing critical political opinions. On December 5, 2022, a Baghdad criminal court condemned Haidar al-Zaidi, 20, to three years in prison for a tweet criticizing the late deputy commander of the Popular Mobilization Units. Al-Zaidi was sentenced under article 226 of the Penal Codewhich punishes with seven years in prison or a fine any “insult to the National Assembly or the government or the courts or the armed forces or any other constitutional body or public authorities or official or semi-official agencies or departments.”

Al-Zaidi denied have posted the tweet. Al-Zaidi’s arrest in December sparked demonstrations in Nasiriyah, Dhi Qar Governorate, in which riot police fired live ammunition into the crowd, killing three protesters. Al-Zaidi has since been released and the charges against him have been dropped after the Popular Mobilization Units will withdraw the complaint against him, after a meeting between a member of the Units and Al-Zaidi’s family.

Prioritize justice, truth and reparation

During the protest movement that started in October 2019, Amnesty International documented a wave of deadly human rights violations by Iraqi security forces, including factions of the Popular Mobilization Units. This brutal repression, which spanned the months of what are known as the “Tishreen” protests, resulted in hundreds of deaths and thousands of injured, due to practices that included targeted killings and torture. Meanwhile, surviving individuals and families seeking justice have been subjected to attacks and intimidation, causing some to flee abroad.

So far there have been no public announcements on the results of the numerous committees created to investigate human rights violations.

On February 15, Prime Minister Al-Sudani led the acceleration of investigations into “the events that accompanied the October 2019 demonstrations.” Amnesty International is calling on the Prime Minister to ensure that significant progress is made in accountability procedures for these serious human rights violations that took place almost three years ago, and that those responsible for the abuses are brought to justice without delay.

Address gender violence

Gender-based violence is a long-standing concern in Iraq, where the country’s women’s rights organizations frequently document so-called “honour killings” and other acts of gender-based violence. the recent murder Tiba Ali, 22, at the hands of her father in January highlighted the urgent need for Iraq to prioritize action against gender-based violence, including passing a domestic violence law that is in line with the international standards.

Displaced, abandoned and forgotten

Displaced people in Iraq face numerous difficulties, including arbitrary detention, lack of opportunities to earn a living, and obstacles to obtaining basic documentation. Between 2020 and 2021, the Ministry of Migration and Displacement hill hurriedly hurried camps of internally displaced persons, despite the severe difficulties in getting these people back safely to their homes. These people keep running danger of being arbitrarily detained and subjected to other types of harassment by armed agents and security forces, as well as lack of opportunities to earn a living and obstacles to obtaining the basic civil documentation necessary to move freely and to access many essential services.

Amnesty International calls on the government to end this discrimination and ensure the safe return of all displaced people, including those repatriated from north-east Syria.

Unfair trials and death sentences

Death sentences continue to be handed down: at least 20 people have been sentenced to death since the Al-Sudani government took office.

Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception, regardless of the nature or circumstances of the crime, the characteristics and guilt or innocence of the accused, and the method of execution used by the State. The death penalty is the maximum exponent of cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.

“The prime minister has an opportunity to end Iraq’s brutal practice of sentencing people to death, often after unfair trials, by announcing a moratorium on all executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty entirely.” manifested Aya Majzoub.