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GENEVA / IRAQ HUMAN RIGHTS
STORY: GENEVA / IRAQ HUMAN RIGHTS
TRT: 02:49
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 19 JANUARY 2015 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
RECENT, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Exterior, Palais des Nations
19 JANUARY 2015 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
2. Wide shot, Ravina Shamdasani arriving
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“We have documented that more than 18, 000 - close to 19,000 civilians - have been killed as a result of the armed conflict in Iraq since January 2014. And of these 4,000 were killed in just last year between May and October. The important thing to note is that this is highly likely to be a very strong underestimate. The number of casualties could be considerably higher than this.”
4. Close up, hands
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“The horrors that the people of Iraq are facing are tremendous. ISIL is abducting young children and recruiting them, putting them in the frontlines of war, and in one case that we have documented, these children have been fled the frontlines of war because they were scared. When they got back, they were executed by ISIL for desertion. These are the kind of horrors that people are facing, women have been subject to sexual slavery, severe restrictions are being placed on their movement and on the movement of men. Those who attempt to flee are caught and executed and hang out publicly to send a signal to others to not take part of this kind of behaviour.”
6. Close up, OHCHR report
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“We have also discovered a number of mass graves. Some of these mass graves were discovered in areas that were reclaimed from ISIL. One of them was found to contain about 60 bodies, another one was found to contain 80. There is also been the discovery of mass graves that date back to the time of Saddam Hussein. In one of these mass graves there were 377 corpses that were found. It is very important to be able to secure these mass graves to be able to ensure that there will be a proper forensic investigation of who exactly these people were, in what circumstances they were killed with a view to finding out the truth and also to establish accountability for the kinds of violations that these people suffered”.
8. Close up, OHCHR report
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“The kinds of violence that people who are living under ISIL rule are suffering is abominable. We have documented that people are being killed for their perceived allegiance to the Iraqi government, people are being killed for perceived espionage. In one case an Imam was killed for not praying properly. And the kinds of methods of execution that are used , they just go from bad to worse. You got people being bulldozed, you got people being decapitated and hang in public to set an example for the others that this is what will happen if you do not obey. You have people, homosexuals, who have thrown of the top of buildings.”
10. Close up, OHCHR report
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) released today (19 Jan) a report revealing details of the severe and extensive impact on civilians of the ongoing conflict in Iraq.
According to the report, “the violence suffered by civilians in Iraq remains staggering” and the violence committed by the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) “may, in some instances, amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and possibly genocide”.
Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) told reporters today in Geneva that “we have documented that more than
18, 000 - close to 19,000 civilians - have been killed as a result of the armed conflict in Iraq since January 2014. And of these 4,000 were killed in just last year between May and October. The important thing to note is that this is highly likely to be a very strong underestimate. The number of casualties could be considerably higher than this. We were hampered by the security situation to be able to document how many violations exactly occurred, how many people were killed and also this only captures the people who were killed as a direct result of violence, as a result of suicide bombings, of murders and execution by ISIL.”
This report also starkly illustrates what Iraqi refugees are attempting to escape when they flee to Europe and other regions.
Shamdasan said “the horrors that the people of Iraq are facing are tremendous. ISIL is abducting young children and recruiting them, putting them in the frontlines of war, and in one case that we have documented, these children have been fled the frontlines of war because they were scared. When they got back, they were executed by ISIL for desertion. These are the kind of horrors that people are facing, women have been subject to sexual slavery, severe restrictions are being placed on their movement and on the movement of men. Those who attempt to flee are caught and executed and hang out publicly to send a signal to others to not take part of this kind of behaviour.”
The report also documented several mass graves which were found. According to Shamdasani “some of these mass graves were discovered in areas that were reclaimed from ISIL. One of them was found to contain about 60 bodies, another one was found to contain 80. There is also been the discovery of mass graves that date back to the time of Saddam Hussein. In one of these mass graves there were 377 corpses that were found. It is very important to be able to secure these mass graves to be able to ensure that there will be a proper forensic investigation of who exactly these people were, in what circumstances they were killed with a view to finding out the truth and also to establish accountability for the kinds of violations that these people suffered.”
Compiled by the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and OHCHR, the report is largely based on testimony obtained directly from the victims, survivors or witnesses of violations of international human rights or international humanitarian law, including interviews with internally displaced people. It details numerous examples of killings by ISIL in gruesome public spectacles.
Shamdasani said that “the kinds of violence that people who are living under ISIL rule are suffering is abominable. We have documented that people are being killed for their perceived allegiance to the Iraqi government, people are being killed for perceived espionage. In one case an Imam was killed for not praying properly. And the kinds of methods of execution that are used , they just go from bad to worse. You got people being bulldozed, you got people being decapitated and hang in public to set an example for the others that this is what will happen if you do not obey. You have people, homosexuals, who have thrown of the top of buildings.”
OHCHR is "urging the government of Iraq to accede to the Rome Statute and to join the International Criminal Court because the kinds of crimes that are being committed are of an international nature and the international community needs to stand up and take notice”.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, called also for urgent action to rein in the impunity enjoyed by the vast majority of the perpetrators of violence.
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