“General debate on agenda Item 3: promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development"

Statement by: International Organization for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (EAFORD)

24 September 2020

Thank you President.

We are deeply concerned with the persistence of enforced disappearances in Iraq. This Council, the Working Group and Committee on enforced disappearances, must pursue the truth and facts regarding the situation in Iraq.

We have documented enforced disappearances which deliberately targeted and eradicated entire generations of families. Yet, in a statement before this Council, the Iraqi delegate accused NGOs of misrepresenting information and advocating for terrorists aligned with Al-Qaeda and ISIS.

It is ludicrous to suggest that all men and boys belonging to certain families are terrorists.

The UNAMI and OHCHR joint report of August 2020 records over 1000 cases in al-Anbar province alone between 2015 and 2016. Are we to believe that those are terrorists?

EAFORD and Geneva International Centre for Justice request that this Council dig deeper to uncover the facts and the true number of enforced disappearances in Iraq.

The victims’ families look to this Council to take real progressive steps and actions towards ascertaining the fate and whereabouts of the disappeared. They look to this Council to further their relentless pursuit of accountability and search for answers. They demand the ever elusive truth and justice that this Council promises but has failed to deliver.  

Thank you.

Justice, Human rights, Geneva, geneva4justice, GICJ, Geneva International Centre For Justice