General Debate under Item 4:

Human rights situations that require the Council’s attention

27 June, 2018

Joint statement by: International-Lawyers.Org and Geneva International Centre for Justice (GICJ)

Thank you, Mr. President,

We would like draw attention to the deterioration of Iraq’s Institutional System since the illegal invasion and occupation of 2003, and how its consequences are still surfacing and being exposed in present times. Regarding the recent national and parliamentary elections in Iraq, we note that they brought along reports of fraud, societal confusion about the electoral results, and acts of intimidation for voters.

We remark that the election process in Iraq has been hindered not only by technical shortfalls and political interference, but also by inconsistent results of the electronic machines, the necessity to go through a manual recount of votes, and the annulation of the ballots casted by displaced Iraqis and citizens living abroad.

In this regard, we urge this Council to ensure that the State of Iraq guarantees a fair and transparent outcome for the electoral process while respecting the will of its citizens and the correct fulfilment of their civil and political rights. We also urge this Council to ensure that those found responsible for rigging election results in Iraq are duly processed.  

Additionally, International Lawyers.org and Geneva International Centre for Justice align to the Secretary General’s recent remarks that
the reconstruction of areas destroyed in Iraq during the liberation campaign must be a priority for offering a secure and dignified home for IDPs to return.

Thank you.