Torture and Extra Judicial Killings of Civilians in Iraq; A Grave Violation of Human Rights
by The article considers the human rights abuses perpetrated by Iraqi security agencies against innocent civillians. The consideration of these abuses is based on the release made by wikileaks establishing these human rights violations.
RE: THE SECRET IRAQ FILES;
TORTURE AND EXTRA JUDICIAL KILLINGS OF CIVILLIANS IN IRAQ; A GRAVE VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS.
Wikileaks recently made an online release, titled “The Secret Iraq Files”. The report among other things contained various human rights violations by the Iraqi government and its’ security agencies. The report also pointed out some instances of human rights abuses committed by United States forces.
Considering the report from the human rights angle, it could be seen that grave human rights violations were perpetrated by the Iraqi security agencies which resulted in the death of a great number of innocent civilians in the country. These abuses are clear violation of the “Convention against torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment”; “Basic Principles on the Use of Force by Law Enforcement Officials” and other international human rights instruments which prohibit torture, extra-judicial killings and enforced disappearance.
It is should be noted that killing of innocent civilians even when there is armed conflict is a violation of international humanitarian law as could be seen in article 3 of the Hague Convention on the Laws and Customs of War on Land of 18 October 1907(Convention IV), Article 91 of the Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 and Articles 68 and 75 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
The situations under which Iraqi soldiers carry out the torture and the killings were not actually under a state of war because all the violations were reported after June 30, 2004, when Iraq again became a Sovereign State. One basic thing that is very clear is that the report established that there were human rights violations committed by Iraqi soldiers. There were evidence of torture, killings and occasionally raping detainees in custody.
THE NEED FOR THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMUNITY TO DEMAND FOR INVESTIGATION OF THESE GRAVE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS:
It is submitted that these human rights violations in Iraq call for joint effort of the human rights community to demand investigations into these violations with a view to punish the perpetrators, because grave human rights violations anywhere in the world is a threat to the dignity and the very existence of man in the whole world.
Also pursuant to “United Nations Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to the Remedy and Reparation for Victims of Gross Violations of International Human Rights Law and Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law” the victims and relations of those who were killed should be given equal effective access to justice; adequate, effective and prompt reparation for harm suffered and access to relevant information concerning violations and reparation mechanisms by the Iraqi government.
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