The post China’s Jiang Duan Praises Iraq’s Human Rights Record appeared first on UN Watch.

In a previous election to the UNHRC, Iraq won no less than 173 of 193 votes, and is expected to win today as well.
“Electing a government that uses Iranian-backed snipers to kill its own people as a UN judge on human rights would be like making a pyromaniac into the town fire chief,” said UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer.
In its bid for a renewed UN Human Rights Council term, from 2020 to 2022, the Iraqi government submitted a list of voluntary pledges. Following are five of Iraq’s most absurd claims, contrasted with the reality.

Iraq’s Human Rights Record
Iraq commits serious human rights violations, including:

• Arbitrary and unlawful killings by members of the security forces
• Enforced disappearances
• Torture
• Arbitrary detention
• Harsh and life-threatening prison conditions
• Arbitrary or unlawful interference with privacy
• Restrictions on freedom of expression
• Restrictions on freedom of the press
• Legal restrictions on freedom of movement of women
• Corruption
• Child soldiers
• Human trafficking
• Criminalization of LGBT individuals
• Child labor

Discussion
Iraq has been beset by violence and instability for years. It has an ethnically diverse population comprised of both Sunni and Shiite Muslims, Christians, Yazidis, Kurds, and others. This has resulted in ethnic and sectarian fighting, which continues today in mixed areas.[1] From 2014 to 2017, Iraq was beset by a civil war in which various extremist Islamic groups, including Islamic State (IS) and Al Qaeda, sought to take control over the territory. At its height, IS controlled some 88,0000 sq. km in Syria and Iraq, including its Iraqi stronghold in Mosul.[2] In the course of its conquest, IS killed and enslaved thousands of Yazidis, more than 3,000 of whom are still unaccounted for.[3] In November 2018, more than 200 mass graves containing the remains of thousands of victims were found in parts of Iraq formerly controlled by IS.[4]
While IS was defeated in 2017, it is still a major perpetrator of atrocities, including suicide bombings, killing and abducting civilians, and attacking security forces and continues to pose a significant security threat.[5] On August 1, 2019, twin IS attacks killed at least seven members of the Iraqi Security Forces and wounded 16.[6]
Although Iraq holds democratic elections and its last election was generally considered to be free and fair, a number of factors hinder the ability of its officials to govern. These include widespread corruption and interference by outside forces, such as Iran.[7] Some militias that are part of the state-sponsored military operate independently and answer to Iranian authorities.[8] According to the parliamentary transparency commission, corruption has caused at least $320 million of state funds to disappear overt the last 15 years.[9]
Extrajudicial killings are committed by government forces, as well as terrorist groups such as IS and Iranian-aligned militias. More than 700 civilians were reportedly killed in the first eight months of 2018.[10] In April 2018, one of the Iranian-aligned militias killed Brigadier General Shareef Ismaeel al-Murshidi and two of his guards. In August, another of these groups killed three tribal sheikhs.[11]
Likewise, both the government and terrorist groups are responsible for the enforced disappearance of thousands.[12] Government forces also routinely torture detainees with impunity. Human Rights Watch reported that at least three people died from torture in prison facilities in Mosul in 2018, and the torture continued into 2019.[13] These groups also engaged in kidnapping and extortion.
Arbitrary arrests and due process violations are common, especially in terrorism cases. Suspects, including children, are routinely denied access to counsel and subjected to torture, forced confessions, and summary trials.[14] According to Human Rights Watch, approximately 1500 children are being held by Iraqi and Kurdish authorities for alleged ISIS affiliation.[15] In 2018, a number of IS suspects were given the death sentence after trials lasting as little as 20 minutes.[16]
In addition to the above, there are restrictions on civil liberties like freedom of the press and freedom of association. Journalists suffer harassment and intimidation and engage in self-censorship.[17] In 2018, there were a number of cases where the government prevented journalists from reporting ostensibly for security reasons, as well as cases of beatings, detentions and death threats against journalists.[18]
Social media posts on controversial topics can result in retribution. In December 2017, the family of Miss Iraq Sarah Idan was forced to flee the country after receiving death threats over her posting photos taken with Miss Israel on social media.[19] In July this year, the government of Iraq threatened to remove Idan’s citizenship over a UN speech criticizing Iraq and supporting Israel.[20]
Just this month, nearly 100 protesters were killed in anti-government protests, many by security forces. In July 2018, Iraqi security forces employed excessive force, including live ammunition, to suppress protests in Basra against corruption and poor infrastructure. According to the UN, at least twenty protesters were killed and many more were arrested or injured.[21] Journalists covering the protests were also detained.[22] In September 2018, one of the leaders of the protest, Iraqi women’s rights activist Suad al-Ali, was murdered in her car in Basra.[23] Other human rights activists have also been attacked.[24]
Iraqi women suffer violence and discrimination. For example, women cannot obtain a passport or government ID without consent of a male guardian. This severely restricts their freedom of movement and ability to access employment, education and social services.[25] Forced and early marriages are common; domestic violence is widespread. Other harmful traditional practices such as FGM, honor killings, temporary marriages, and trading women to settle tribal disputes persist.[26] Women from families associated with IS are subjected to sexual violence, including rape.[27] Half of the 3500 Yazidi women captured by IS in 2014 and subjected to sexual slavery are still unaccounted for.[28]
In September 2018, the female social media star Tara Fares was shot dead in Baghdad. Several other high-profile women associated with the beauty and fashion industry were also killed in 2018.[29]
Iraq’s UN Voting Record
Negative: At the General Assembly, Iraq backed human rights abusers when it supported a resolution denying the right to level sanctions against such regimes, and by voting to delay the work of the Special Rapporteur on violence against LGBT individuals. Iraq voted against a resolution speaking out for victims of human rights violations by Iran and abstained on resolutions that spoke out for victims of human rights violations by Russia and Syria. It also abstained on a resolution calling for protection of the rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of association.

Current members of the U.N. Human Rights Council include:
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
🇨🇳 China
🇨🇺 Cuba
🇸🇴 Somalia
🇵🇰 Pakistan
🇮🇶 Iraq
🇶🇦 Qatar
🇪🇷 Eritrea
🇨🇩 DR Congo
🇦🇫 Afghanistan
🇧🇩 Bangladesh
🇨🇲 Cameroon

Next Thursday, they add Libya, Mauritania, Sudan & most likely Venezuela. https://t.co/6ltZEhmnoi

— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) October 11, 2019

[1] Freedom in the World 2019: Iraq, Freedom House (2019), https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2019/iraq.
[2] IS ‘Caliphate’ defeated but jihadist group remains a threat, BBC News (March 23, 2019),  https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-45547595.
[3] Richard Hall, Yazidi leaders call for help finding thousands of missing women and children kidnapped by ISIS, The Independent (Feb. 28, 2019), https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-syria-iraq-women-children-missing-yazidi-a8800996.html.
[4] ISIL’s legacy of terror: at least 200 mass graves in Iraq, says UN report, OHCHR (Nov. 6, 2018), https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=23831&LangID=E.
[5] Pesha Magid, How ISIS Still Threatens Iraq, Foreign Policy (May 28, 2019), https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/05/28/how-isis-still-threatens-iraq/; Amnesty International Report 2017/18: Iraq, Amnesty International (2018) [Hereinafter “Amnesty International Iraq 2018”], https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/middle-east-and-north-africa/iraq/report-iraq/.
[6] Islamic State attacks kill seven security forces in Iraq: police, Reuters (Aug. 1, 2019), https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iraq-security/islamic-state-attacks-kill-seven-security-forces-in-iraq-police-idUSKCN1UR3TH.
[7] Freedom in the World 2019: Iraq, supra note 33.
[8] 2018 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Iraq, US Department of State (March 13, 2019) [Hereinafter “State Department Report Iraq 2019”], https://www.state.gov/reports/2018-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/iraq/.
[9] Id.
[10] Id.
[11] Id.
[12] Iraq: Events of 2018, Human Rights Watch (2019) [Hereinafter “Human Rights Watch Iraq 2019”], https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2019/country-chapters/iraq.
[13] Iraq: Chilling Accounts of Torture, Deaths, Human Rights Watch (Aug. 19, 2018), https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/08/19/iraq-chilling-accounts-torture-deaths; Iraq: Torture Persists in Mosul Jail, Human Rights Watch (April 18, 2019), https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/04/18/iraq-torture-persists-mosul-jail.
[14] Human Rights Watch Iraq 2019, supra note 44.
[15] Iraq: ISIS Child Suspects Arbitrarily Arrested, Tortured, Human Rights Watch (March 6, 2019), https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/03/06/iraq-isis-child-suspects-arbitrarily-arrested-tortured.
[16] Freedom in the World 2019: Iraq, supra note 33.
[17] Id.
[18] State Department Report Iraq 2019, supra note 40.
[19] Miss Iraq Says Family Forced to Flee Country After She Posted a Photo With Miss Israel, Haaretz (Dec. 14, 2017), https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/miss-iraq-flees-country-after-posting-photo-with-miss-israel-1.5628700.
[20] Miss Iraq Threatened With Citizenship Removal For UN Speech Backing Israel, UN Watch (July 10, 2019), https://unwatch.org/miss-iraq-threatened-with-citizenship-removal-for-un-speech-backing-israel/.
[21] Press briefing notes on Iraq Basra protests, OHCHR (Sep. 11, 2018), https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=23532&LangID=E; Freedom in the World 2019: Iraq, supra note 33; Human Rights Watch Iraq 2019, supra note 44.
[22] Amnesty International Iraq 2018, supra note 37.
[23] Freedom in the World 2019: Iraq, supra note 33.
[24] Iraq: Officials Arrest, Abuse, Harass Aid Workers, Human Rights Watch (Feb. 25, 2019), https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/02/25/iraq-officials-arrest-abuse-harass-aid-workers.
[25] Freedom in the World 2019: Iraq, supra note 33.
[26] State Department Report Iraq 2019, supra note 40.
[27] Amnesty International Iraq 2018, supra note 37.
[28] Maya Oppenheim, Yazidi rape survivors forced to abandon children of Isis to be able to return to community: ‘Drowning in an ocean of pain’, The Independent (Aug. 3, 2019), https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/yezidis-sinjar-massacre-rape-iraq-isis-fighters-children-a9037126.html.
[29] Laignee Barron, Why Did Former Miss Iraq Flee Her Country? Time (Oct. 18, 2018), https://time.com/5428156/miss-iraq-women-flee/; Freedom in the World 2019: Iraq, supra note 33.

The post Today: Iraq to win election to U.N.'s top human rights body, experts predict appeared first on UN Watch.

Good news: China, Cuba & Saudi Arabia, regularly elected members of the U.N. Human Rights Council, will be forced to step off in January due to term limits.

Bad news: In elections next Thursday, the U.N. will elect Libya, Mauritania (has 500,000 slaves), Sudan & maybe Venezuela.

— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) October 11, 2019

Say No to Maduro on the U.N. Human Rights Council

The post Report: Abuser states set to win top U.N. rights posts appeared first on UN Watch.

Iraq’s bid for re-election to a seat on the UN’s top human rights body should be rejected, as it fails to meet the basic membership criteria. The election of 14 new countries to the Human Rights Council will be held at the UN in New York on Thursday, October 17, 2019. See our full report on all candidates, and press release.

“Electing a government that uses Iranian-backed snipers to kill its own people as a UN judge on human rights would be like making a pyromaniac into the town fire chief,” said UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer.
In its bid for a renewed UN Human Rights Council term, from 2020 to 2022, the Iraqi government submitted a list of voluntary pledges. Following are five of Iraq’s most absurd claims, contrasted with the reality.

Iraq’s Human Rights Record
Iraq commits serious human rights violations, including:

• Arbitrary and unlawful killings by members of the security forces
• Enforced disappearances
• Torture
• Arbitrary detention
• Harsh and life-threatening prison conditions
• Arbitrary or unlawful interference with privacy
• Restrictions on freedom of expression
• Restrictions on freedom of the press
• Legal restrictions on freedom of movement of women
• Corruption
• Child soldiers
• Human trafficking
• Criminalization of LGBT individuals
• Child labor

Discussion
Iraq has been beset by violence and instability for years. It has an ethnically diverse population comprised of both Sunni and Shiite Muslims, Christians, Yazidis, Kurds, and others. This has resulted in ethnic and sectarian fighting, which continues today in mixed areas.[1] From 2014 to 2017, Iraq was beset by a civil war in which various extremist Islamic groups, including Islamic State (IS) and Al Qaeda, sought to take control over the territory. At its height, IS controlled some 88,0000 sq. km in Syria and Iraq, including its Iraqi stronghold in Mosul.[2] In the course of its conquest, IS killed and enslaved thousands of Yazidis, more than 3,000 of whom are still unaccounted for.[3] In November 2018, more than 200 mass graves containing the remains of thousands of victims were found in parts of Iraq formerly controlled by IS.[4]
While IS was defeated in 2017, it is still a major perpetrator of atrocities, including suicide bombings, killing and abducting civilians, and attacking security forces and continues to pose a significant security threat.[5] On August 1, 2019, twin IS attacks killed at least seven members of the Iraqi Security Forces and wounded 16.[6]
Although Iraq holds democratic elections and its last election was generally considered to be free and fair, a number of factors hinder the ability of its officials to govern. These include widespread corruption and interference by outside forces, such as Iran.[7] Some militias that are part of the state-sponsored military operate independently and answer to Iranian authorities.[8] According to the parliamentary transparency commission, corruption has caused at least $320 million of state funds to disappear overt the last 15 years.[9]
Extrajudicial killings are committed by government forces, as well as terrorist groups such as IS and Iranian-aligned militias. More than 700 civilians were reportedly killed in the first eight months of 2018.[10] In April 2018, one of the Iranian-aligned militias killed Brigadier General Shareef Ismaeel al-Murshidi and two of his guards. In August, another of these groups killed three tribal sheikhs.[11]
Likewise, both the government and terrorist groups are responsible for the enforced disappearance of thousands.[12] Government forces also routinely torture detainees with impunity. Human Rights Watch reported that at least three people died from torture in prison facilities in Mosul in 2018, and the torture continued into 2019.[13] These groups also engaged in kidnapping and extortion.
Arbitrary arrests and due process violations are common, especially in terrorism cases. Suspects, including children, are routinely denied access to counsel and subjected to torture, forced confessions, and summary trials.[14] According to Human Rights Watch, approximately 1500 children are being held by Iraqi and Kurdish authorities for alleged ISIS affiliation.[15] In 2018, a number of IS suspects were given the death sentence after trials lasting as little as 20 minutes.[16]
In addition to the above, there are restrictions on civil liberties like freedom of the press and freedom of association. Journalists suffer harassment and intimidation and engage in self-censorship.[17] In 2018, there were a number of cases where the government prevented journalists from reporting ostensibly for security reasons, as well as cases of beatings, detentions and death threats against journalists.[18]
Social media posts on controversial topics can result in retribution. In December 2017, the family of Miss Iraq Sarah Idan was forced to flee the country after receiving death threats over her posting photos taken with Miss Israel on social media.[19] In July this year, the government of Iraq threatened to remove Idan’s citizenship over a UN speech criticizing Iraq and supporting Israel.[20]
Just this month, nearly 100 protesters were killed in anti-government protests, many by security forces. In July 2018, Iraqi security forces employed excessive force, including live ammunition, to suppress protests in Basra against corruption and poor infrastructure. According to the UN, at least twenty protesters were killed and many more were arrested or injured.[21] Journalists covering the protests were also detained.[22] In September 2018, one of the leaders of the protest, Iraqi women’s rights activist Suad al-Ali, was murdered in her car in Basra.[23] Other human rights activists have also been attacked.[24]
Iraqi women suffer violence and discrimination. For example, women cannot obtain a passport or government ID without consent of a male guardian. This severely restricts their freedom of movement and ability to access employment, education and social services.[25] Forced and early marriages are common; domestic violence is widespread. Other harmful traditional practices such as FGM, honor killings, temporary marriages, and trading women to settle tribal disputes persist.[26] Women from families associated with IS are subjected to sexual violence, including rape.[27] Half of the 3500 Yazidi women captured by IS in 2014 and subjected to sexual slavery are still unaccounted for.[28]
In September 2018, the female social media star Tara Fares was shot dead in Baghdad. Several other high-profile women associated with the beauty and fashion industry were also killed in 2018.[29]
Iraq’s UN Voting Record
Negative: At the General Assembly, Iraq backed human rights abusers when it supported a resolution denying the right to level sanctions against such regimes, and by voting to delay the work of the Special Rapporteur on violence against LGBT individuals. Iraq voted against a resolution speaking out for victims of human rights violations by Iran and abstained on resolutions that spoke out for victims of human rights violations by Russia and Syria. It also abstained on a resolution calling for protection of the rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of association.

Current members of the U.N. Human Rights Council include:
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
🇨🇳 China
🇨🇺 Cuba
🇸🇴 Somalia
🇵🇰 Pakistan
🇮🇶 Iraq
🇶🇦 Qatar
🇪🇷 Eritrea
🇨🇩 DR Congo
🇦🇫 Afghanistan
🇧🇩 Bangladesh
🇨🇲 Cameroon

Next Thursday, they add Libya, Mauritania, Sudan & most likely Venezuela. https://t.co/6ltZEhmnoi

— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) October 11, 2019

[1] Freedom in the World 2019: Iraq, Freedom House (2019), https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2019/iraq.
[2] IS ‘Caliphate’ defeated but jihadist group remains a threat, BBC News (March 23, 2019),  https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-45547595.
[3] Richard Hall, Yazidi leaders call for help finding thousands of missing women and children kidnapped by ISIS, The Independent (Feb. 28, 2019), https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-syria-iraq-women-children-missing-yazidi-a8800996.html.
[4] ISIL’s legacy of terror: at least 200 mass graves in Iraq, says UN report, OHCHR (Nov. 6, 2018), https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=23831&LangID=E.
[5] Pesha Magid, How ISIS Still Threatens Iraq, Foreign Policy (May 28, 2019), https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/05/28/how-isis-still-threatens-iraq/; Amnesty International Report 2017/18: Iraq, Amnesty International (2018) [Hereinafter “Amnesty International Iraq 2018”], https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/middle-east-and-north-africa/iraq/report-iraq/.
[6] Islamic State attacks kill seven security forces in Iraq: police, Reuters (Aug. 1, 2019), https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iraq-security/islamic-state-attacks-kill-seven-security-forces-in-iraq-police-idUSKCN1UR3TH.
[7] Freedom in the World 2019: Iraq, supra note 33.
[8] 2018 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Iraq, US Department of State (March 13, 2019) [Hereinafter “State Department Report Iraq 2019”], https://www.state.gov/reports/2018-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/iraq/.
[9] Id.
[10] Id.
[11] Id.
[12] Iraq: Events of 2018, Human Rights Watch (2019) [Hereinafter “Human Rights Watch Iraq 2019”], https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2019/country-chapters/iraq.
[13] Iraq: Chilling Accounts of Torture, Deaths, Human Rights Watch (Aug. 19, 2018), https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/08/19/iraq-chilling-accounts-torture-deaths; Iraq: Torture Persists in Mosul Jail, Human Rights Watch (April 18, 2019), https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/04/18/iraq-torture-persists-mosul-jail.
[14] Human Rights Watch Iraq 2019, supra note 44.
[15] Iraq: ISIS Child Suspects Arbitrarily Arrested, Tortured, Human Rights Watch (March 6, 2019), https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/03/06/iraq-isis-child-suspects-arbitrarily-arrested-tortured.
[16] Freedom in the World 2019: Iraq, supra note 33.
[17] Id.
[18] State Department Report Iraq 2019, supra note 40.
[19] Miss Iraq Says Family Forced to Flee Country After She Posted a Photo With Miss Israel, Haaretz (Dec. 14, 2017), https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/miss-iraq-flees-country-after-posting-photo-with-miss-israel-1.5628700.
[20] Miss Iraq Threatened With Citizenship Removal For UN Speech Backing Israel, UN Watch (July 10, 2019), https://unwatch.org/miss-iraq-threatened-with-citizenship-removal-for-un-speech-backing-israel/.
[21] Press briefing notes on Iraq Basra protests, OHCHR (Sep. 11, 2018), https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=23532&LangID=E; Freedom in the World 2019: Iraq, supra note 33; Human Rights Watch Iraq 2019, supra note 44.
[22] Amnesty International Iraq 2018, supra note 37.
[23] Freedom in the World 2019: Iraq, supra note 33.
[24] Iraq: Officials Arrest, Abuse, Harass Aid Workers, Human Rights Watch (Feb. 25, 2019), https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/02/25/iraq-officials-arrest-abuse-harass-aid-workers.
[25] Freedom in the World 2019: Iraq, supra note 33.
[26] State Department Report Iraq 2019, supra note 40.
[27] Amnesty International Iraq 2018, supra note 37.
[28] Maya Oppenheim, Yazidi rape survivors forced to abandon children of Isis to be able to return to community: ‘Drowning in an ocean of pain’, The Independent (Aug. 3, 2019), https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/yezidis-sinjar-massacre-rape-iraq-isis-fighters-children-a9037126.html.
[29] Laignee Barron, Why Did Former Miss Iraq Flee Her Country? Time (Oct. 18, 2018), https://time.com/5428156/miss-iraq-women-flee/; Freedom in the World 2019: Iraq, supra note 33.

The post Iraq seeks re-election to UN's top human rights body, despite abuses appeared first on UN Watch.

For the truth in Iraq, listen to former Miss Iraq Sarah Idan, UN Watch’s 2019 Ambassador for Peace:

---

 

Sarah Idan
United Nations Human Rights Council
June 26, 2019

Transcript:

Iraq at the 41st Session of the UN Human Rights Council:

• “Trials in Iraq are free.”

• “We do not impose restrictions on social networks and we do not block websites.”

• “The government in Iraq is working very seriously to develop the sector of public health to provide treatment to all the people of Iraq.”

• “Judges in Iraq have high salaries so they will not accept bribes.”

Miss Iraq Sarah Idan, UN Watch’s 2019 Ambassador for Peace, takes the floor:

“Madam Vice-President, speaking as a migrant woman from Iraq, I commend the Special Rapporteur for his important report. Mr. Morales, on page 8 you address the root causes that drive migration, including the need to flee conflict and persecution, food insecurity, and gender-based discrimination.  I wish to share some personal reflections that exemplify the issues that drive migration, especially migrant women.

I am Sarah Idan, Miss Iraq 2017. Representing my people on the world stage is a mission I take seriously.

Six million Iraqis have been displaced due to conflict since 2014.

Several factors, including those addressed by the report in paragraphs 30 to 32, may explain migration from my country:

• Security forces in Basra kill protesters who merely demand clean drinking water, electricity, and an end to corruption.

• Iraqi migrants flee terrible living conditions, ongoing terror attacks, and assassination of public figures, especially women.

• Assyrians, Yazidis and other minorities are oppressed. Iraq which was known as the cradle of civilizations has now become a graveyard for ethnic and religious diversity.

Iraqi migrants believe that their government showed more loyalty to Iran than to its own people. They see streets named after Khomeini who murdered hundreds of thousands of Iraqis.

I ask the UN: Why has this Council never adopted a single resolution for the human rights of the Iraqi people?

How could you elect a government that oppresses its own people as a world guardian of human rights?  Thank you.”

Iraq responds:

“Thank you for giving us a right of reply on this unreliable information, not in line with the noble goals of this organization. They seem to be mixing up the victim and the henchmen.

Iraq guarantees all its citizens the right to peaceful assembly and expression and the right to demonstrate. We have not one single detainee in our prisons detained because of their opinion. Thank you.”

The post Iraq pledges to "ensure harmony" as UN human rights council member appeared first on UN Watch.

On June 25, 2019, Miss Iraq Sarah Idan—recently designated as an Ambassador for Peace by UN Watch, which invited her to the United Nations—took the floor at the United Nations to support peace with Israel. Following two speeches to the UN’s highest human rights body, the Iraqi Parliament’s Security and Defense Committee reportedly called for her Iraqi citizenship to be revoked, labeling her advocacy a “crime.” (Click here for full video and transcript of Sarah Idan’s speeches to the UN Human Rights Council)
For the full story, click here. 
Media Mentions & Reactions to  Sarah Idan’s UN Speech
Times of Israel: “At the UN Human Rights Council, Sarah Idan denounces the Iraqi government who did not support him after receiving death threats for his photo with Miss Israel…”
i24News: “Undeterred by the death threats and backlash that forced her family to flee Iraq for the United States, Idan recently joined the NGO UN Watch as an ambassador for peace…”
CNN Arabic: “Iraq’s former beauty queen, Sarah Idan, said her country’s government was revoking her citizenship for supporting Israel on the Human Rights Council…”
The Daily Mail: “Neuer said the threats against Ms. Idan were in ‘express violation’ of several of the UN resolutions which condemned all acts of intimidation by states against individuals who sought to cooperate with the United Nations…”
Forward: “After she publicly supported Israel and rebuked her government and country’s media before the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva this month, some Iraqi members of parliament are calling for Sarah Idan’s citizenship to be revoked…”
NBC News Los Angeles:
https://www.facebook.com/unwatch/videos/681975148920569/?__xts__[0]=68.ARAOxUXix1G9dUbnrFhomVvHE_F-7t1vGirl6f-IaHUJ5tajuNvvV9S1xc6nbP0qehztnYfbloLewlSoAl-ly-2QygWV6Dw9-Glrt_r4JwJUZKEhtKCpjreb54BUvQ758rVHKNv4sDHZ5801QLvq2krcdx5MuwORogOPcN_JFhccMDSdVUV9mJ6Qbkwh827vBP4fpFci324GA1_za4g5r34OeCrCwANkTe8aLo-l-yF8NDRumPUVt2q_AHVnuFLQx3xif0CQXbj9AfM-ew1pKYwXRkq7FQeuqYcC5oaBXRNaCwwl11NpM8ZzB4T5NhODmMhI&__tn__=-R
Washington Examiner: “Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, a nongovernmental group that monitors the U.N., penned a letter to U.N. Human Rights Council President Coly Seck asking him to take action to stop Iraq from revoking Idan’s citizenship…” 
Washington Times: “The watchdog group, UN Watch, called on Iraq in a statement Wednesday to stop its intimidation tactics toward Ms. Idan, who represented Iraq at the 2017 Miss Universe pageant and faced controversy there for posting pictures on social media with Israel’s entrant…”
Iraqi News: “Idan, who now lives in California, stressed that she will not remain silent on such hate campaigns, which she said pose a threat to “antisemitism” and violate her own rights…”
The Jerusalem Post: “Former Miss Iraq Sarah Idan has turned to Twitter to halt a drive in Baghdad to strip her of her Iraqi citizenship after she spoke in defense of Israel at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva last month….”
The Algemeiner: “In a letter addressed to Coly Seck, president of the council, UN Watch demanded that the world body protect Idan according to Human Rights Council Resolution 36/21, intended to shield those who testify before UN bodies…”
Miss Iraq Threatened With Citizenship Removal For Backing Israel at UN

 
https://www.facebook.com/unwatch/videos/2369980466551166/?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARBDza0UUF2gY359ZXNc6IesNd9mqA1yy0V3u6Sveu0G9uyJppwaCb1LieopgIVEnqoh8zTrC-XeIJeM1LlB_jplMn5PnLauoX6J-q8ux3mCyakfYUQ5iWgWmIFI21DRPYPfjbTLfNavrzw55VM8CtCUKjqxbvoaoYozsmyotcAOLIQPktWITSUsmWPCD9jNuG-uuvO43CbNSdSMhXoekCecmxtTcXg3MvOSHdvKW0WzAJmJP2ffUep9iVR0ENoM8yzRFt_XS_ON7fPpMM1eygb4hxxWP1_mteGsOFnKkGpcZOtoeZH8xokHvIbL5Sirx8Nn6Wyy-DfNhHtQY1rIt3S-_2i48w&__tn__=-R
 

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Secretary-General Guterres Must Intervene to Stop Iraqi Reprisals

GENEVA, July 10, 2019 — In a legal appeal sent today to UN leaders, the Geneva-based non-governmental organization UN Watch urged the world body to stop Iraq from retaliating against Miss Iraq Sarah Idan for her UN testimony criticizing Iraqi abuses and advocating peace with Israel.

Following Idan’s speeches on June 25th and 26th before the UN’s highest human rights body, the Iraqi Parliament’s Security and Defense Committee reportedly called yesterday for her Iraqi citizenship to be revoked, labeling her advocacy a “crime.”
Iraqi MP Ali al-Ghanmi added that Idan should be “held accountable by law” and banned from entering the country, according to a statement to Iraqi news site Baghdad Today. The threat follows similar calls from social media users and local activists, who have urged retaliation since Idan began to advocate ties between Iraq and Israel in 2017.
UN Watch, which hosted Idan at the UNHRC in Geneva after honoring her as its 2019 Ambassador for Peace, sent its appeal today to UN chief Antonio Guterres, human rights commissioner Michelle Bachelet, Human Rights Council president Coly Seck, and assistant secretary-general Andrew Gilmour, who is charged with addressing reprisals.
The human rights group noted that Iraq—a member of the UN Human Rights Council—is obliged to prevent acts of intimidation against Ms. Idan, protect her, and hold the perpetrators accountable, in accordance with General Assembly and Human Rights Council resolutions.
“We urge you to dispatch an immediate demarche to Iraq’s Ambassador to the UN Bahr Aluloom and demand an end to the intimidation of Sara Idan for her testimony before the UN. Reprisals against her amount to a violation of her right to free speech,” tweeted UN Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer.
In its letter, UN Watch also calls on UNHRC officers to report the case to relevant UN bodies that address reprisals, in order to hold Iraqi authorities accountable for the threats against Idan.
“It is the primary responsibility of states to prevent intimidations and reprisals, and when faced with such allegations, to investigate them and prosecute and punish the perpetrators,” said Neuer. “Iraq cannot be a member of the UN human rights council while failing to respect its minimal obligations, such as protecting witnesses who appear before it.”
https://www.facebook.com/unwatch/videos/2369980466551166/?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARBDza0UUF2gY359ZXNc6IesNd9mqA1yy0V3u6Sveu0G9uyJppwaCb1LieopgIVEnqoh8zTrC-XeIJeM1LlB_jplMn5PnLauoX6J-q8ux3mCyakfYUQ5iWgWmIFI21DRPYPfjbTLfNavrzw55VM8CtCUKjqxbvoaoYozsmyotcAOLIQPktWITSUsmWPCD9jNuG-uuvO43CbNSdSMhXoekCecmxtTcXg3MvOSHdvKW0WzAJmJP2ffUep9iVR0ENoM8yzRFt_XS_ON7fPpMM1eygb4hxxWP1_mteGsOFnKkGpcZOtoeZH8xokHvIbL5Sirx8Nn6Wyy-DfNhHtQY1rIt3S-_2i48w&__tn__=-R
 

⚡️ “BOOM! Miss Iraq drops the mic at U.N., owns the dictators”https://t.co/BJ8ozta4lF

— UN Watch (@UNWatch) July 3, 2019

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After Syria, Pakistan, Qatar & the PLO attacked Israel with accusations of “grave violations of human rights,” Miss Iraq Sarah Idan—recently designated as an Ambassador for Peace by UN Watch, which invited her to the United Nations—took the floor:
“Two years ago, I represented Iraq at Miss Universe. I posted a photo with Miss Israel on social media.
I was told to remove it and forced to denounce Israeli policies. I received death threats. Since then I can no longer return to my homeland.

Why did the Iraqi government fail to condemn the threats, or allow my freedom of speech?
The issue between Arabs and Israelis goes beyond policy disagreements. It’s deeply rooted in the belief systems taught in Muslim countries, which are anti-Semitic.
Sadly, hatred and intolerance are reinforced by biased media. When I watched the news last month, why did they never report that the Hamas terrorist organization fired nearly 700 rockets at Israeli civilians in one weekend or that Hamas used Palestinians in Gaza as human shields?
Why do they never condemn Hamas for initiating the attacks?
Instead, they only show those killed by the response, in self-defense, and blame Israel.
For advocating peace, I’m called a traitor. Why hasn’t a single Arab media outlet called to ask my views? Instead, they publish false translations of my statements.
I’d like to remind Arab countries that today you share more common interests with Israel than the terrorist militias.
Negotiating peace for both states isn’t betraying the Arab cause but a vital step to end conflict and suffering for all. Thank you.”
—Miss Iraq Sarah Idan, UN Watch Ambassador for Peace, addressing the 41st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

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REACTION ON TWITTER:

BOOM! Miss Iraq drops the mic at U.N., owns the dictators

The post BOOM! Brave Miss Iraq Drops the Mic at UNHRC, Owns the Dictators appeared first on UN Watch.

Iraq at the 41st Session of the UN Human Rights Council:
• “Trials in Iraq are free.”
• “We do not impose restrictions on social networks and we do not block websites.”
• “The government in Iraq is working very seriously to develop the sector of public health to provide treatment to all the people of Iraq.”
• “Judges in Iraq have high salaries so they will not accept bribes.”
Miss Iraq Sarah Idan, UN Watch’s 2019 Ambassador for Peace, takes the floor:
“Madam Vice-President, speaking as a migrant woman from Iraq, I commend the Special Rapporteur for his important report. Mr. Morales, on page 8 you address the root causes that drive migration, including the need to flee conflict and persecution, food insecurity, and gender-based discrimination.  I wish to share some personal reflections that exemplify the issues that drive migration, especially migrant women.
I am Sarah Idan, Miss Iraq 2017. Representing my people on the world stage is a mission I take seriously.
Six million Iraqis have been displaced due to conflict since 2014.
Several factors, including those addressed by the report in paragraphs 30 to 32, may explain migration from my country:
• Security forces in Basra kill protesters who merely demand clean drinking water, electricity, and an end to corruption.
• Iraqi migrants flee terrible living conditions, ongoing terror attacks, and assassination of public figures, especially women.
• Assyrians, Yazidis and other minorities are oppressed. Iraq which was known as the cradle of civilizations has now become a graveyard for ethnic and religious diversity.
Iraqi migrants believe that their government showed more loyalty to Iran than to its own people. They see streets named after Khomeini who murdered hundreds of thousands of Iraqis.
I ask the UN: Why has this Council never adopted a single resolution for the human rights of the Iraqi people?
How could you elect a government that oppresses its own people as a world guardian of human rights?  Thank you.”
Iraq responds:
“Thank you for giving us a right of reply on this unreliable information, not in line with the noble goals of this organization. They seem to be mixing up the victim and the henchmen.
Iraq guarantees all its citizens the right to peaceful assembly and expression and the right to demonstrate. We have not one single detainee in our prisons detained because of their opinion. Thank you.”

 

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United Nations Watch
2019 AMBASSADOR FOR PEACE AWARD

Sarah Idan

 In recognition of her courageous and extraordinary actions to promote tolerance,
build bridges for peace, and spread a message of hope and unity.

GENEVA, May 15, 2019 — UN Watch announced today that Sarah Idan, who as Miss Iraq in 2017 faced death threats for posting a photo of herself with Miss Israel, will receive the Swiss organization’s Ambassador for Peace Award.
The prize will be presented to Idan at a Geneva ceremony attended by senior diplomats of the UN Human Rights Council, during UN Watch’s 2019 annual gala dinner on Thursday, June 13th.
“Sarah Idan was chosen for her courageous and extraordinary actions to promote tolerance, build bridges for peace, and spread a message of hope and unity,” said Hillel Neuer, UN Watch Executive Director. “In face of horrific threats, she has become an online advocate for peace, and a fearless opponent of terrorism, hatred and antisemitism, famously taking on the atrocities of Hamas, as well as its apologists such as activist Linda Sarsour, musician Roger Waters and CNN’s Marc Lamont Hill.” (See links below.)
In 2017, Sarah Idan was crowned Miss Universe Iraq and selected to compete in the Miss Universe pageant. Like her fellow competitors, she embarked on this journey with pride to represent her people on the world stage. However, what she would experience during the pageant would set her apart from her competitors and change her forever.
During the pageant, Sarah posed for a photograph with Miss Israel, Adar Gandelsman, and shared it on her Instagram—as an expression of peace and love. Immediately following the post, Sarah received hostile criticism, hateful comments, and death threats directed at her and her family.
This experience linked Sarah and her Israeli counterpart in a story that sent ripples throughout the entire Middle East region—solely because she, an Iraqi, posed with Adar, an Israeli. Her family was forced to flee Iraq, and Sarah has remained fearful of returning home since.
From this experience, Sarah knew this would only be the beginning of her commitment to connecting Muslims and Jews, Arabs and Israelis, beyond borders, differences in faith, and age-old conflicts, united in amity and common ground. To achieve her vision of peace, she founded the organization Forward Humanity, and serves at its CEO.
Sarah made international news once again in 2018 when she visited Israel, reunited with Adar, and bonded with Iraqi Jews, and then in 2019, when she spoke out on social media against Hamas attacks, and called out former Pink Floyd musician Roger Waters for his advocacy of anti-Israel boycotts.
More needed in today’s world than ever before, Sarah Idan is a true Ambassador for Peace.
See links below.
About UN Watch
Previous winners of UN Watch awards include Nobel Peace Prize Laureate David Trimble; French Prime Minister Manuel Valls; Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar; Turkish journalist Yavuz Baydar; Chinese dissident Yang Jianli; Antonio Ledezma, the Mayor of Caracas and former political prisoner; Russian dissident and world chess champion Garry Kasparov; Dr. Massouda Jalal, Afghanistan’s first Minister for Women’s Affairs; and Esther Mujawayo, an activist for victims of the genocide in Rwanda.
Founded in 1993, UN Watch is a non-governmental human rights organization based in Geneva, Switzerland. The watchdog group is a leading voice against antisemitism and racism at the UN, and organizes the annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy, a key gathering for dissidents. UN Watch brings human rights heroes to testify before the United Nations Human Rights Council, including victims from China, Cuba, Egypt, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Sudan and Venezuela.

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Miss Iraq & Miss Israel in Selfie for Peace

Miss Iraq Sarah Idan posed with Miss Israel Adar Gandelsman to publicize their friendship, in an Instagram post on November 13, 2017.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Peace and Love from Miss Iraq and Miss Israel ❤️❤️?? #missuniverse

A post shared by Sarah Idan (Sarai) سارة عيدان (@sarahidan) on Nov 13, 2017 at 2:51pm PST

As reported worldwide, immediately following the post, Sarah received hostile criticism, hateful comments, and death threats directed at her and her family.

Death threats haunt Miss Iraq in wake of selfie controversy https://t.co/0P4oEYnLJp pic.twitter.com/kvxOjlU7C3

— CNN (@CNN) December 18, 2017

Miss Iraq Universe: I received death threats for taking a selfie with Miss Israel https://t.co/zkwxYA9h7x

— TIME (@TIME) December 18, 2017

Miss Iraq's contestant at the 2017 Miss Universe pageant says she's received death threats after posting a selfie with Miss Israel https://t.co/0EyFiRCJn1 pic.twitter.com/2sy9xRQSNj

— CNN International (@cnni) December 19, 2017

Sarah Idan Visits Jerusalem, Reunites With Miss Israel 

Sarah made international news again in 2018 when she visited Israel, reunited with Miss Israel, and bonded with Israeli Jews who fled Iraq decades ago.

Miss Iraq visits Miss Israel in Jerusalem after selfie of them together last year sparked death threats https://t.co/sYpwGYCLmO

— Daily Mail (@DailyMail) June 13, 2018

Six months after a selfie of Miss Universe contestants from Iraq and Israel was posted on Instagram and sparked an international incident, the two women have reunited https://t.co/9GMkIzibf2 pic.twitter.com/4NhkSyyNEm

— CNN (@CNN) June 13, 2018

Sarah Idan advocates for grassroots connections between people to foster peace, in light of her friendship with Former Miss Israel Adar Gandelsman.

Sarah Idan tweets against Hamas rocket attacks on civilians

Idan has been unwavering in condemning Hamas during recent hostilities and has diligently worked to correct the record on Hamas aggression, contrary to mainstream media in the Arab world. 

I typed in G search “Hamas attack Israel” in Arabic to see what Arab news said. all the articles popped up “Israel attack Gaza” Israel kill civilians in Gaza. This how they brainwash Arabs, and btw why CNN Arabia, BBC Arabia are quite? Every big news outlet made No report at all pic.twitter.com/imh1lZNlUZ

— Sarai (Sarah Idan) Miss Iraq (@RealSarahIdan) May 5, 2019

You forget as an Iraqi, what you see in here I saw with my own eyes when I was just 8. It’s what happens when your country is controlled by terrorists who don’t want peace. I pray for the Palestinians to be free from Hamas control so there are no more children suffer from War. https://t.co/VsoodCXaaL

— Sarai (Sarah Idan) Miss Iraq (@RealSarahIdan) May 6, 2019

Not Palestinian people seeking freedom but a TERRORIST militia Hamas using Gazans as human shield firing rockets from residential areas so when Israel respond they use horrific photos of the victims & promote their cause which is not just freedom but eradication of Israel! https://t.co/oyOnsCFS1V

— Sarai (Sarah Idan) Miss Iraq (@RealSarahIdan) May 8, 2019

Sarah Idan calls out Linda Sarsour: ‘You defend terrorism’

1- protestors who have access to 600 rockets aren’t “just protestors”
2- Assault on Gaza? Remind me who started firing? & who was the target?
3- to fire from civilians areas knowing there would be counterattack is sickening
4- but even more sickening is that you defend terrorism. https://t.co/SW5sMJ02NS

— Sarai (Sarah Idan) Miss Iraq (@RealSarahIdan) May 11, 2019

Sarah Idan rejected Roger Waters’ call to boycott Israel

Idan has also advocated for equal treatment toward the Jewish state through speeches and online advocacy. Most recently, as reported in the Jerusalem Post, Idan spoke out against former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters’ latest campaign against the Jewish state. As Waters repeated calls to boycott the 2019 Eurovision Contest in Israel, she wrote: “An artist has power to inspire. Make sure you use your power for good and to bring people together. I never understood artists who boycott an entire country, you’re singing for people not for governments.” 

Is why I’m a #muser. An artist has power to inspire. Make sure you use your power for good and to bring people together 💕 https://t.co/1sTramfPOL

— Sarai (Sarah Idan) Miss Iraq (@RealSarahIdan) May 10, 2019

I never understood artists who boycott an entire country, you’re singing for people not for governments

— Sarai (Sarah Idan) Miss Iraq (@RealSarahIdan) May 10, 2019

Sarah Idan slammed CNN’s Marc Lamont Hill for denying Israel’s right to exist

After CNN’s then commentator Marc Lamont Hill addressed a Palestinian event at the U.N. and denied Israel’s right to exist, Sarah Idan spoke out:

@marclamonthill just a few days ago I spoke about Palestinians rights in a room full of Jewish and Israeli people and they clapped. You know why? Because I was impartial and didn’t deny their right to exist. pic.twitter.com/uKKxTLIZNC

— Sarai (Sarah Idan) Miss Iraq (@RealSarahIdan) November 29, 2018

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