UN Report Documents Human Rights Violations in Iraq of Increasingly Sectarian Nature

Romanista/iStock/Thinkstock(GENEVA) — A report released Monday by the United Nations documents widespread human rights violations of an increasingly sectarian nature in Iraq, as well as a deterioration of the rule of law in large parts of the country.

The report, produced jointly by the U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq and the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, covers the period from Sept. 11 to Dec. 10, 2014.

It documents serious violations of international humanitarian law and abuses of human rights perpetrated over a three-month period by ISIS.

These include killings of civilians, abductions, rapes, slavery and trafficking of women and children, forced recruitment of children, destruction of places of religious or cultural significance, looting and the denial of fundamental freedoms, among others.

The report also details the murder of captured members of Iraqi security forces and of people suspected of being associated with the Iraqi government by ISIS.

Individuals suspected of being disloyal to ISIS, including religious, community and tribal leaders, journalists, doctors as well as female community and political leaders, have been particularly targeted. During the reporting period, at least 165 executions were carried out following sentences by so-called “courts” in ISIS-controlled areas.

“Many of the violations and abuses perpetrated by ISIL may amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity and possibly genocide,” the report notes.

The report also notes that the number of civilians who have died from the secondary effects of violence, including the lack of access to food, water or medical care, remains unknown.

Large numbers remained trapped or displaced in areas under the control of ISIS during the reporting period, with limited access to humanitarian assistance.

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