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  • News
  • Middle East and North Africa

Death penalty 2020: Middle East and North Africa dominates list of world’s top executioners

Iran, Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia accounted for 88% of known global executions in 2020 Egypt tripled number of yearly executions Iran accounted for 56% of all recorded executions in MENA 85% drop in executions recorded in Saudi Arabia Oman and Qatar resumed executions for first time in several years Lowest number of executions globally in a decade for third consecutive year Countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) ruthlessly persisted with executions, defying the unprecedented challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, making them some of the world’s most prolific executioners of 2020, said Amnesty International in its annual global death penalty report today.

Date:
21 April 2021
  • News
  • Middle East and North Africa
  • Discrimination

MENA: COVID-19 amplified inequalities and was used to further ramp up repression

Launch of Amnesty International’s global annual report Pandemic lays bare systemic inequality in MENA and worldwide with refugees, migrants and prisoners severely impacted Throughout 2020 MENA governments ramped up assault on freedom of expression and in some cases punished health workers who spoke out World leaders hampered recovery by undermining international cooperation New Secretary General Agnès Callamard calls for reset of broken systems The global pandemic has exposed the terrible legacy of deliberately divisive and destructive policies that have perpetuated inequality, discrimination and oppression and paved the way for the devastation wrought by COVID-19 globally and within the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Amnesty International said in its annual report published today.

Date:
7 April 2021
  • News
  • Iraq
  • Armed Conflict

States should curb urban slaughter of civilians from explosive weapons

Virtual consultations this week move closer to a diplomatic agreement to protect civilians Amnesty International has documented disastrous impact of explosive weapons on civilians in multiple conflicts Global civil society network outlines key changes needed Dozens of states convening this week must forge a strong new political agreement that will help to minimize civilian casualties from explosive weapons that cause widespread destruction in cities and towns during armed conflicts, Amnesty International said today.

Date:
3 March 2021
  • Campaigns
  • Middle East and North Africa
  • Unlawful Detention

Iraq: Further information: Assistant Judge risks double prosecution: Hatsyar Wshyar

Assistant judge Hatsyar Wshyar faces up to seven years in prison as new charges have been brought against him, over the same social media posts for which he was sentenced and effectively served a full year prison term sentence. Instead of releasing him after his sentence, he remains detained and at risk of being tried again over the same tweets. The authorities must release Hatsyar Wshyar immediately and unconditionally and drop all charges against him.

Date:
3 March 2021
Ref:
MDE 14/3767/2021
  • Campaigns
  • Iraq
  • Unlawful Detention

Iraq/Kurdistan Region-Iraq: Journalists must be released immediately

On 16 February, the 2nd Erbil Criminal Court, in the Kurdish Region of Iraq’s capital, sentenced activists and journalists Sherwan Sherwani, Ghudar Zebari, Hussein Issa, Ayaz Karan and Shvan Saeed to six years in prison following an unfair trial, based on trumped-up charges of “destabilizing the security and stability of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KR-I)”. The five journalists are now on hunger strike as they await the appeal verdict expected to take place by 16 March.

Date:
26 February 2021
Ref:
MDE 14/3754/2021
  • News
  • Iraq
  • Armed Conflict

ICC decision on UK military in Iraq rewards obstructionism

Responding to the International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor’s decision to conclude the preliminary examination into allegations of war crimes by the UK military in Iraq, Matthew Cannock, Head of Amnesty International’s Centre for International Justice, said:  ‘The Prosecutor’s damning report found that the UK armed forces committed war crimes in Iraq in 2003, including torture and rape, and that victims had been deprived of justice by the UK authorities.

Date:
10 December 2020
  • News
  • Iraq
  • Death Penalty

Iraq: End impunity for murders, release all kidnapped and detained peaceful activists

Six organisations released the following statement today calling on the Iraqi government to investigate the detention of activists and others since the start of the 2019 protests and to free all those held arbitrarily for peaceful protests. As we mark International Human Rights Day on 10 December, the undersigned organisations call on the Iraqi authorities to fairly, thoroughly and effectively conduct investigations into the cases of detention that have taken place since the start of the popular protests in October 2019 and the forcible disappearance and unlawful killings of dozens of Iraqi activists, journalists, lawyers, and other civil society members, to release those held arbitrarily in relation to their right to free speech or peaceful assembly, and to bring to justice all those responsible for these acts.

Date:
9 December 2020
  • News
  • Iraq
  • Discrimination

Iraq: Thousands of displaced Iraqis stigmatized for perceived IS ties trapped in cycle of abuse

Thousands of displaced Iraqis with perceived ties to the armed group calling itself the Islamic State (IS), already subjected to arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances and unfair trials, are today at heightened risk as Iraqi authorities move ahead with the closure of camps despite the range of obstacles to their safe, dignified and sustainable return, Amnesty International said in a new report published today.

Date:
24 November 2020
  • Research
  • Iraq
  • Detention

Iraq: Marked for life: Displaced Iraqis in cycle of abuse and stigmatization

Thousands of displaced Iraqis with perceived ties to the armed group calling itself the Islamic State (IS), already subjected to arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances and unfair trials, are today at heightened risk as Iraqi authorities move ahead with the closure of camps despite the range of obstacles to their safe, dignified and sustainable return.

Date:
24 November 2020
Ref:
MDE 14/3318/2020
  • News
  • Iraq
  • Armed Conflict

Iraq: Mass execution of 21 individuals is an outrage

Responding to the execution on Monday of 21 individuals in Iraq, including individuals allegedly affiliated to the Islamic State (IS) and convicted of terror-related charges, Lynn Maalouf, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, said: “It is high time the Iraqi authorities put an end to executing people. Retaliatory executions not only fail to deliver justice to the victims and to their families, they serve to reinforce perceptions of partial justice, at a time when the authorities are mum in regards to other serious violations such as torture and enforced disappearances that are still taking place across the country.

Date:
17 November 2020
  • News
  • Iraq
  • Armed Conflict

Agenda: We must act to reunite Yezidi women and their children

By Nicolette Waldman IT has been 489 long days since Hanan last saw her daughter. When the Islamic State (IS) attacked her Yezidi community in northern Iraq in August 2014, Hanan was 17, studying for final school exams. Hanan and her family were captured by IS as they fled on foot, carrying their belongings. In the years that followed, the Yezidi community was subjected to what the UN has called a genocide.

Date:
12 August 2020
  • News
  • Iraq
  • Armed Conflict

Iraq: Yezidi child survivors of ‘Islamic State’ facing unprecedented health crisis

Almost 2,000 Yezidi children who have returned to their families after being held captive by the armed group calling itself Islamic State (IS) are facing a physical and mental health crisis, Amnesty International warned in a new report published today. The report, Legacy of Terror: The Plight of Yezidi Child Survivors of ISIS, also addresses the urgent need to end the enforced separation of women and their children born of sexual violence by IS members.

Date:
30 July 2020
  • Research
  • Iraq
  • Armed Conflict

Iraq: Legacy of Terror: The Plight of Yezidi Child Survivors of ISIS

The armed group calling itself the Islamic State (IS) committed war crimes, crimes against humanity and what the UN has characterized as genocide against the Yezidi community in Iraq. While thousands of children were killed or abducted, hundreds have survived and returned to their families in Iraq. These child survivors now face significant challenges. Their physical health is often severely compromised; many experience mental health conditions; they sometimes cannot speak or even understand the dialect of Kurdish spoken by their families; and many are unable to re-enrol in school after missing several years.

Date:
30 July 2020
Ref:
MDE 14/2759/2020
  • News
  • Middle East and North Africa
  • Armed Conflict

UN: Angelina Jolie cites Amnesty International report on Yezidi child survivors of ‘Islamic State’

Speaking to the UN Security Council today, UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie cited an upcoming Amnesty International report on Yezidi child survivors of the armed group calling itself the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq. Highlighting the lack of services available for child survivors of sexual violence and other violations, and calling for an urgent increase in international funding and dedicated services for children, Angelina Jolie’s remarks cited Amnesty International’s research: “Many children were murdered, but nearly 2,000 have returned.

Date:
17 July 2020
  • Campaigns
  • Middle East and North Africa
  • Censorship and Freedom of Expression

Iraq: Further Information: Teacher and Protest Organizer Released on Bail

On 30 May 2020, teacher and activist Badal Abdulbaqi Aba Bakr Barwari was released on bail. On 16 May 2020 armed members of local police as well as security forces had arrested him in Duhok, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, without a warrant. He was charged with “the misuse of electronic devices” for his role in organizing peaceful protests through social media platforms. While the charges related to Badal Barwari’s freedom of speech and peaceful assembly have not been dropped, no court date has been set.

Date:
16 July 2020
Ref:
MDE 14/2745/2020