OHCHR
Iraq’s legal framework to prevent ill-treatment, developed over several years, now needs to be translated into effective measures to tackle torture in detention centres and prevent further violations, a UN report published on Tuesday highlights.
The report* of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and the UN Human Rights Office, entitled “Human Rights in the Administration of Justice in Iraq: legal conditions and procedural safeguards to prevent torture,” describes how although the Iraqi legal framework explicitly criminalises torture and sets out procedural safeguards to prevent it, the practice continues throughout the country.
The report, which covers the period from 1 July 2019 to 30 April 2021, is based on interviews conducted with 235 people deprived of their liberty as well as with prison staff, judges, lawyers, and families of detainees, among others.
“I experienced the worst days of my life. As soon as I arrived, the officers beat me using metal pipes. The following days, they used two exposed electricity wires to electrocute me,” one detainee told UN staff who helped draw up the report.
“I acknowledge some advances achieved by the Iraqi authorities on the legal front to prevent torture,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet. “However, the authorities need to effectively implement the provisions written in the law in each and every detention centre. If not, they remain a dead letter.”
“Eradicating torture will be one of the most effective tools to start to build public trust in the state’s ability to deliver justice and uphold the principle of fairness,” she added. “However, when the authorities themselves break the law, it has the opposite effect.”
The report draws on its finding to provide an analysis of the main risk factors…
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