Overview

Impunity prevailed for violations committed in the context of military operations against the armed group Islamic State. The fate of thousands forcibly disappeared since 2014 remained undisclosed. Justice and adequate reparations were slow for enforced disappearances and unlawful killings committed by security forces and militias during and in the aftermath of the October 2019 protests. Authorities arrested and prosecuted people over “indecent content” and stifled civil society. Journalists were harassed, prosecuted and arrested for their media work in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Protests in central and southern Iraq were met with excessive and unnecessary force. A draft bill to amend the Personal Status Law threatened to further undermine women’s rights and allow child marriage for girls as young as nine. Violence against women and girls often went unpunished, including in the Kurdistan Region. Internally displaced people struggled to access housing, water and medical care and remained at risk of arbitrary detention. The death penalty was imposed, often after unfair trials, and mass executions were carried out. Rampant overcrowding and unsanitary conditions in prisons continued. Iraqi authorities failed to address the country’s worsening environmental crisis.