General Debate Under Item 4: Human rights situations that requires the Council's attention

Thank you Mr. President,

This is a joint statement by EAFORD and Geneva International Centre for Justice.

We wish to bring to this council’s attention the dire situation in Iraq. While ISIS and the campaign against them has kept the country in the headlines, they are not the only reason its people are suffering. The Iraqi government and its Coalition are guilty too, for waging destructive campaigns, that have left innocent and unarmed civilians trapped in the cities like Mosul. This has ensured that Iraqi citizens are no longer just the victims of ISIS, but also frequent airstrikes, and the violent crimes of government forces and pro-government militias. These civilians remain under siege, dying of starvation, with no doctors, and no food.

Successive Iraqi governments have also utilised the rise of ISIS to authorise high execution rates, arbitrary arrests and to justify the detention of peaceful demonstrators - all under the guise of “fighting terrorism.”

Distinguished delegates,

There aren’t many things which are more corrosive to human rights than impunity. Yet, so far, this Council has failed to adequately address the crimes against humanity which are being committed everyday in Iraq - suggesting that liberation is far from anything Iraqi people may hope to witness anytime soon. For them, defeating ISIS is only the start of restoring Iraq - a task that will never be accomplished without first addressing justice, governance, and accountability.

Thank you