A Monthly Newsletter published by the Iraq Foundation

Transcription

1 Page 1 A Monthly Newsletter published by the Iraq Foundation NO.8 August المعهد العراقي The Iraq Foundation The Iraq Foundation provided key Small Grants for Human Rights education initiatives focused on prisoner treatment workshops and human rights awareness building A monthly newsletter published by the Iraq Foundation. A nonprofit foundation committed to promoting democracy, human rights and civil society in Iraq. This newsletter focuses on the monitoring and reporting of Human Rights in Iraq. The Yazidi Fraternity and Solidarity Organization in Mosul successfully implemented five training workshops for members of the security, army, and police forces on the topic of treatment of prisoners, detainees, and those in custody. Members of the Human Rights Advocacy Initiative (HRAI) Coalition - Human Rights Organization / Muthana - The Mawtinee Organization for Human Rights Education / Salah El-Din - Iraq Institute to Support Democracy/ Karbala - The Human Rights & Civil Society Organization/ Baghdad. - The Yazidi fraternity & Solidarity Association/ Mosul. - AL-Safa Organization for Development & Friendship between People/ Anbar. - The National Iraqi Organization for Human Rights/ Missan. - The Human Rights Organization in Kurdistan/ Dahouk. - Women Empowerment Center / Sulaimaniya - The Humane Organization for Human Rights/ Kut. - Al-Fajer Organization for the Development of Civil Society/ Thi-Qar. - The Popular Rescue Organization/ Erbil - The Rased Center for Human Rights / Najaf - The Omeed Organization/ Baghdad - The Iraqi Firdaws Organization/ Basra - Humanitarian Women s Rights Center/ Diwaniya - The Akad Association for Humanitarian Relief/ Baghdad - The Mustaqbal Children s Association/ Diyala The Mawtinee Organization for the Development of Youth in Diwaniya completed its project for the dissemination of the principles of Human Rights, which included the development and airing of 8 radio programs with human rights experts on the Diwaniya FM radio program. The HRAI coalition reports on human rights violations in Iraq. Coalition members whose recommendations are mentioned in this issue include: 1. Al -Fajer Organization for the Development of Civil Society/ Thi-Qar. 2. Humanitarian Women s Rights Center/Diwaniya. 3. Mawtinee Organization for Human Rights Education/ Salah El- Din 4. The Human Rights Organization in Kurdistan/ Dahouk Coalition members document human rights violations in their districts on a monthly basis. The Martus documentation program and the individual member s monthly reports are the basis for reports that the coalition compiles to accompany the official reports that are submitted by the Iraqi Government to the U.N. s Council on Human Rights.

2 Page 2 Small Grants Program/ Phase One First Grant: Mawtinee Organization for Development of Youth promoted human rights awareness among Iraqis through radio programs developed for major radio station The Mawtinee Organization for the Development of Youth concluded its project by broadcasting its seventh and eighth episodes on the Diwaniya FM radio station, bringing together legal and environmental experts in the field and driving human rights awareness among listeners. The two episodes, broadcast on July 31 and August 7, 2009 were titled The Environment and Human Rights and The Rights of the Child. The Eighth Broadcast The Seventh Broadcast Second Grant: The Yazidi Fraternity and Solidarity Association in Mosul completed critical training workshops on prisoner treatment for Iraq s security forces With this program, the Association sought to educate members of the province s officer and security corps about the standards of Human Rights and prisoner rights, in order to ensure proper treatment of detainees according to the guidelines of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and other international conventions that guarantee the dignity of the individual. To that end, it planned 5 workshops with 20 participants each, targeting a total of 100 army, police and security officers. The Association also prepared and published 1,000 posters with the theme of antiviolence and anti-torture. Posters were distributed both at the workshops and to security offices in the province.

3 Page 3 Training Army and Police Officers and rankers in Mosul Governorate Reports on Monitoring Violations of Human Rights First: The Fajr Organization for the Development of Civil Society/ Thi- Qar prepared important report on widespread impact of food poisoning due to false labeling The Organization prepared a report titled Poisonous Canned Food Products Threaten the Community. The report discussed the spread of a variety of illnesses among citizens resulting from consumption of spoiled canned foods sold by merchants who had altered the expiration dates printed on external packaging. Packaged food is currently imported and sold without any supervision or regulation. In addition, rampant administrative corruption and the prevalence of industrial fraud --as locally produced food supplies are falsely labeled before being sold to Iraqi citizens -- are also common. Moreover, most canned foods are not properly stored and their contents quickly spoil when they are sold in open market stalls. As a result, contaminated food is bought and consumed by Iraqis who are unaware of this false labeling and often unaware of the dangers this may pose to their health. Violation: Many people suffer from food poisoning and gastro-intestinal problems because of their consumption of contaminated packaged/canned food.

4 Page 4 Select recommendations from the report include: 1- The government should verify the usability and provenance of all food products that enter the country before they are distributed to local markets. 2- The local authorities in the governorate must exercise their supervisory role along with the health and other relevant authorities. 3- The government should impose penalties on merchants and storeowners who distribute and sell contaminated and spoiled food products. The Center prepared a report on the absence of freedom of belief, with a focus on the violations suffered by minorities based on their religious or sectarian beliefs, during the period June 5-July 5, These violations are perpetrated by governmental and non-governmental groups, including political and religious parties in addition to sectarian fanatics. Minority groups impacted include Christians, Jews, Kurds, Turkmen and Feili Kurds among others. General Description: The Diwaniya governorate is predominantly tribal, and inhabited by a mix of people of different religions and ethnicities. While the majority is Muslim, there are also Christians of different denominations (Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant), Jews, Mandaeans, and Yazidis. Members of the different groups often intermarried. The Jewish minority used to claim that they were Muslim to avoid deportation, as the former state policy did not permit Jews to reside in Iraqi cities. It also discriminated against other minorities including Kurds, Turkmen, Feili Kurds and Khildo-Assyrians. Members of these groups used to write Arab on their civil identity cards out of fear of the previous regime. For a short period after 2003, Iraqi citizens felt free to publicly claim their religious or ethnic identity. However, this changed after the breakout of sectarian violence that led to the persecution and killing of minorities, forcing them to relocate or flee the country. Out of about Christian families in Qadisiya Governorate, only two remained. Similarly, the majority of Mandaeans (who constituted a large segment of the population in the Governorate), fled to safer places in Iraq or left the country. Sunni families in the area were also threatened, and many were forced to leave... Couples in mixed Sunni-Shi at marriages were forced to divorce. These are all gross violations of the right of individuals to freely practice their religious beliefs. These violations have negatively impacted the demographic map of Iraq, which has historically exemplified a diverse mix of religions and cultures. Violations: Second: Humanitarian Women s Rights Center/ Diwaniya prepared critical report on significant human rights violations suffered by religious minorities 1. Threats against and forced displacement of citizens on the bases of sectarian or religious beliefs. 2. The use of terrorist tactics against religious minorities, forcing them to convert to Islam, is against the articles of the Iraqi Constitution, which states the right of the citizen to freedom of religion and political affiliation.

5 Page 5 Select recommendations from the report include: 1. The Iraqi government and the Iraqi Parliament must review the special legislation to rescind the law that requires declaring one s religious affiliation on all legal documents such as the nationality and civil status identity cards. The rescinding of this law would diminish the religious and ethnic conflicts in the country. 2. To conduct awareness campaigns and demand the application of the laws that support freedom of religion and belief, and to discourage all discrimination, persecution and violence against minorities. Third: The Mawtinee Organization for Human Rights Education/ Salah El-Din prepared groundbreaking report on environmental waste in major Iraqi city, and its harmful impact on children The organization prepared a report on waste and its impact on the environment. For the past six years, the city of Balad has suffered from the accumulation and improper disposal of garbage leading to a variety of illnesses, especially among children. The problem is exacerbated by the actions of the municipality, which burns collected garbage close to residential neighborhoods. The resulting environmental pollution constitutes a violation of Human Rights as stipulated in international conventions, pertaining to economic and social rights of the citizen, as well as those in the Iraqi Constitution. General Description: Dredging conducted by the previous regime has caused the city of Balad to lose its trees that surround the city as a green environmental belt. Moreover, there has been significant growth in Balad s population, output from local factories, and in the number of cars. This has vastly increased the amount of waste generated, without any parallel improvement in waste management and disposal. Violations: 1- The municipal directorate of Balad burns waste locally, near the residential neighborhood of Hussein. The resulting smoke, gases, and putrid smell are dangerous to the health of children and the elderly in particular. 2- Waste products accumulate in streets and alleys near residential houses. Garbage trucks are often unreliable, and can be as much as one month late as happened during the months of May and June in the neighborhoods of Faris and the old city of Balad. These violations are contrary to Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 12 of The International Convention on Living Standards, and Article 33 of the 2005 of the Iraqi Constitution, which points to the right of a citizen to a safe and healthy environment and the Government s duty to safeguard it. Select recommendations from the report include: 1. the Municipal Council should supervise the municipality to ensure the timely collection of waste products. 2. The Municipal Council should encourage the Municipal Directorate to stop burning waste near residential areas. 3. The Governorate Council should plan and budget for modern and safe disposal of waste products by installing facilities that would recycle waste into byproducts useful in agriculture.

6 Page 6 Fourth: The Human Rights Organization in Kurdistan/Dahouk highlighted the plight of displaced Iraqis within Iraq and the resulting instability and violence, in key report The organization prepared a report on the displaced and immigrant population currently residing in Dahouk governorate. The report discusses the reasons for their displacement, settlement areas, and the sources and type of aid they have received. The Report: The internal displacement of Iraqis is a result of the religious, ethnic, and national violence that characterized several Iraqi cities, in the central and southern governorates in particular. These areas harbored terrorist and criminal organizations that blackmailed, kidnapped, and killed citizens -- causing the forced migration of thousands of families who left their homes and sought refuge in other parts of Iraq. The acts of terrorism and violence targeted members of Christian, Kurdish, and Yazidi communities in the governorates of Baghdad and Ninevah, which witnessed deliberate murder sprees seemingly motivated by religious and ethnic extremism. Verifiable Sources: 1- The directorate for immigrants and evacuees in Dahouk Governorate. 2- The archives of the organization. Select recommendations from the report include: 1. To protect the original property of displaced Iraqis. 2. To undertake the necessary measures to reestablish security and stability that would allow displaced Iraqis to return to their homes. The Iraq Foundation partners with Iraq s Ministry of Human Rights in targeted awareness building campaign A. Under the terms of their agreement of cooperation, the Iraq Foundation provided the Ministry with 1,700 pamphlets on the human rights campaign Min Haqqika. The pamphlets are published by the Iraq Foundation as part of the HRAI project. B. The Iraq Foundation and the Ministry of Human Rights are exploring ways of future cooperation and the possibility of signing a memorandum of understanding that specifies the areas of their cooperation on human rights issues.

7 Page 7 The Pamphlet (Min Haqqika) As part of their Human Rights awareness campaign, the HRAI staff continues to distribute the pamphlet (Min Haqqika) to organizations and foundations, both public and private, throughout the country. The pamphlet includes excerpts from international conventions and agreements concerning the rights of children, women, and minorities.

8 Page 8 Members of the Human Rights Advocacy Initiative ( HRAI) Coalition making an impact Mr. Naseer Issa, a representative of the Akad Association for Humanitarian Relief in Baghdad which is a member of HRAI, visited the Mandaean temple in Baghdad and met Mr. Hassan Radi Zeboon, secretary of the Mandaean General Council, and Council member Mr. Issam Al-Khomaisi. Mr. Naseer explained the goals and activities of the HRAI project and its member organizations and their contributions to the monthly report that documents violations against members of minority groups in Iraq. Mr. Naseer urged the leadership of Akad and other Mandaean organizations to actively cooperate with the HRAI project. Mr. Hayder Chaseb, a representative of the National Iraqi Organization for Human Rights in Missan, a member of HRAI Alliance, visited the human rights office of the Ministry of Human Rights in the governorate and met with the director, Mr. Ahmed Setouri. Mr. Jaseb presented the director with a detailed report on the activities of the project, which is being implemented by the Iraq Foundation through its alliance with 20 non-governmental human rights organizations throughout Iraq.

9 Page 9 Human Rights Advocacy Initiative /(HRAI) Human Rights Advocacy Project (HRAI) Project Objectives: 1 Launch a media and grassroots advocacy campaign to press the Iraqi Government on the ratification and adherence to International Human Rights Conventions. 2 Raise Human Rights awareness at the grassroots level across the country through a nationwide, decentralized public education campaign. 3 Strengthen the monitoring, reporting, networking and advocacy skills of the human rights coalition members. 4 Assist the coalition to develop its human rights documentation and monitoring into official shadow reports to present to the UN Human Rights Council. Iraq Foundation Working for democracy, supporting human rights, and civil society in Iraq.