Amnesty International has called on Iraqi authorities to take concrete action regarding the fate and whereabouts of the 643 men and boys who were abducted by the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) in June 2016. The PMU is an established militia group in Iraq and is considered part of the Iraqi Armed Forces. The families of the disappeared and victims of enforced disappearance suffer an immeasurable loss and live in agony without knowing the fate or location of their loved ones. Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Aya Majzoub, stated that “Multiple governments have failed to provide these families with the answers that they deserve and with reparations.”
The case of the disappeared, mostly from the area of Saqlawiya in Anbar Province, highlights the failure of authorities to tackle enforced disappearances in Iraq. In 2016, the then-Prime Minister set up an investigative committee to probe the disappearances. However, no findings have been made public, no action has been taken against the perpetrators, and no redress has been given to the families of the victims.
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Victims’ Plight
The women who have lost their husbands and sons in the 2016 enforced disappearances recounted the pain they have experienced for the past seven years. One woman told Amnesty International that at least six of her family members were abducted, and that while she and four of her brothers were released, her husband and one of her brothers remain missing. She stated, “There is no bigger disaster than losing someone dear to you. We lost our loved ones, husbands, uncles, fathers. Everyone left. I don’t remember anything other than sadness.” Another woman whose husband, brother, and son remain missing since 2016 stated that “we were living a happy life… If they could hear me, I would tell them enough of being gone. We are tired. We need you because life is not worth it without you… If only you could return… I am prepared to forget everything and forget all the pain and start life over again and we live happily, if only.”
The families of the disappeared have been pressing the authorities to investigate the disappearances for years, but they have not been given any answers. On the seven-year anniversary of the enforced disappearances, Amnesty International has urged the Iraqi government to bring the perpetrators to justice and to provide reparations and rehabilitation to families and victims.
International and Legal Obligation
Iraq has an estimated range of 250,000 to 1 million missing persons since 1968, according to the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances. Iraq is a signatory to the International Convention for the Protection of all Persons against Enforced Disappearance and therefore has an obligation to criminalize enforced disappearances, investigate, bring perpetrators to justice, and ensure reparation for victims. However, there is currently no law in Iraq to protect persons from enforced disappearance.
As stated by the Al Haq Foundation for Human Rights, a civil society organization based in Baghdad, the lack of legislation to protect against enforced disappearances “is an indication of the failure to put an end to cases of enforced disappearance… to together reveal the truth about the fate of thousands.”
Conclusion
Amnesty International has called on the Iraqi authorities to disclose the findings of the investigation committee set up in 2016. They have also called for authorities to ensure that information about the fate and whereabouts of the missing men and boys is disclosed to their families and that evidence is shared with judicial authorities so that the perpetrators can be brought to justice in fair trials without recourse to the death penalty. The organization has also urged the authorities to pass effective legislation criminalizing enforced disappearances in accordance with international law.
The enforced disappearances of the 643 men and boys in 2016 were a tragedy, and their families continue to suffer immense pain. The Iraqi authorities have a responsibility to bring the perpetrators of enforced disappearances to justice and to protect their citizens from such atrocities in the future.
<< photo by Sander Sammy >>
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