Human Rights in Iraq (Part 2)

 Hello everyone, welcome back to the Middle East and North African Human Rights Blog. This week we will be continuing on the topic of human rights in the Republic of Iraq.

    In the aftermath of the 1991 Gulf War, Iraq was internationally isolated and under no-fly zones enforced by the United States along with  international sanctions. The repression of Saddam Hussein’s regime continued amidst UN investigation of potential weapons of mass destruction. Iraq was again put into international attention when the administration of George W. Bush alleged (falsey) that Saddam’s regime was harboring and supporting Al Qaeda after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001 (Powell). The alleged cooperation with Al Qaeda and the simultaneous accusations of building or hiding weapons of mass destruction prompted the invasion of Iraq by the US led coalition. Even though UN investigators found no evidence of any development and concealment, the government’s of Bush and Tony Blair in the UK decided to take unilateral action. Hans Blix, the leader of the UN Monitoring, Verification , and Inspections Commission, which oversaw the Iraq investigations leading up to the war said “There were about 700 inspections, and in no case did we find weapons of mass destruction." (Powell). Coalition forces quickly defeated the Iraq military and after five weeks declared victory. After Saddam’s government was deposed, L. Paul Bremmer was put in charge of the Coalition Provisional Authority, which controlled Iraq until elections were held. Bremmer engaged in two policies which fueled the subsequent insurgency. The two policies were disbanding the Iraqi military and “debaathification” which saw hundreds of thousands of civil servants and soldiers put out of work (Iraq War). After the invasion by the coalition, these two policies exacerbated the quickly growing insurgency against the US and the new Iraqi government. Eventually, the most notorious group in the insurgency, Al Qaeda in Iraq began a sadistic campgin of sectarian terrorism. AQI was led by Abu Musab Al Zarqawi who wanted to start a sectarian war in Iraq by targeting civilians, notably the Shia population in Iraq (Iraq War). In the midst of the insurgency the coalition engaged in severe violence against civilians as part of the coordinated response along with practicing torture in prisons such as Abu Ghraib. As the insurgency continued AQI targeted civilians mostly in Baghdad but also collaborators in Sunni areas and prompted a response by (mostly) Iranian Shia militias who were accused by the UN of engaging in war crimes and acting as “death squads” (Iraq War). After the US withdrew in 2011, the context of reduced violence, discontent between the government and Sunni communities continued and violence began to increase along with social unrest. These factors provided the context for the return of AQI but under the name of the “Islamic State.” Under the leadership of Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, the Islamic State took over parts of northern Iraq and extended to Syria in the midst of the civil war (Editors). Conditions under ISIS were totalitarian, fundamentalist, genocidal, and cruel. ISIS oversaw death and destruction of anybody who opposed them and punished their opponents and civilians with public acts of savagery such as burning people alive, beheadings, and mass executions (Editors). They also continued their campaign of elimination against ethnic, social, and religious minorities. The most prominent example of their crimes in the genocide that ISIS committed against the Yazidi people in Iraq which saw killed 5,000 Yazidi’s by UN estimates, kidnapping of thousands of girls for sexual slavery, and displacement of hundreds of thousands of people (Editors). Iraqi, Syrian and Kurdish forces made progress against ISIS and eventually defeated them in Mosul in 2017, which deprived them of any territorial holdings (Editors). After the defeat of ISIS’s territory, human rights conditions in Iraq have been faltering. Iranian supported militias have engaged in torture and collective punishment of areas once under the control of ISIS along with abusing and repressing protestors (World Report 2022). This creates an environment where freedom of expression is harmed by militias who ultimately have dual allegiances. Womens rights have improved since the fall of ISIS but Iraqi women still face legal and societal discrimination in the context of domestic abuse (World Report 2022). LGBTQ+ people not only face legal discrimination but are targeted by security forces and face torture, sexual violence, and unjust attention (World Report 2022). Along with abuses from security forces and societal discrimination, neighboring countries contribute to human rights violations. From the north, Turkey engages in bombings and military activity which kills civilians (Dri). Turkey also restricts the flow of water from the Euphrates and Tigris which has devastating effects on civilian health, ecology, and agriculture. From the East, Iran supports militias which are responsible for egregious human rights violations along with interfering in Iraqi politics, and engaging in military activities which also kill civilians (Dri). For human rights to improve in Iraq, countries such as Turkey and Iran must end their violation and assault on Iraqi sovereignty and the people of Iraq and Kurdistan. Iranian backed militias must either disband or be under the strict jurisdiction of the Iraqi army. Domestically, Iraq must provide protections and freedom to marginalized groups and ensure social equality along with expanding democratic institutions and participation. Along with these reforms, Iraq must also provide better oversight of their security forces in order to prevent abuses in the context of anti terrorism. Iraq had long decades of war and violence and the international community must work with Iraq to bring about an era of peace, democracy, equality, and freedom for all. 

Citations:

Powell, Bonnie Azab, NewsCenter | 18 March 2004. U.N. Weapons Inspector Hans Blix Faults Bush Administration for Lack of "Critical Thinking" in Iraq, https://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2004/03/18_blix.shtml. 

“The Iraq War.” Council on Foreign Relations, Council on Foreign Relations, https://www.cfr.org/timeline/iraq-war#:~:text=In%20March%202003%2C%20U.S.%20forces,and%20democratic%20elections%20were%20held. 

Editors. “Isis.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 10 July 2017, https://www.history.com/topics/21st-century/isis. 

Dri, Karwan Faidhi. “Iraq Accuses Iran, Turkey of Violating Its Sovereignty with Recent Attacks.” Rudaw.net, 21 Nov. 2022, https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/21112022. 

“World Report 2022: Rights Trends in Iraq.” Human Rights Watch, 13 Jan. 2022, https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2022/country-chapters/iraq.