Washington Kurdish Institute
Part I: Iraqi Kurdistan
International rights organizations like Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and others have done a sub-par job of reporting human rights abuses in Iraq. While there is a general focus on the rights of religious minorities and women, human rights reporting in recent years has been primarily focused on the acts of ISIS terrorists, leaving many of the abuses by government forces unreported.
Local reporting on abuses by the federal government is often reported to the United Nations (UN), which calls for investigations into these events, but then those events no longer appear in international headlines. In most cases, abuses against the Kurds go unreported, especially in the disputed territories, like Kirkuk, Shingal (Sinjar), Khanaqin, and Tuz Khurmatu. The Iraqi mistreatment of the Kurds in the disputed territories resumed after October 16, 2017, when Baghdad removed the Kurdish forces and administration in retaliation against an Independence Referendum the Kurds had held.
Baghdad then started using Iranian-backed militias to attack Kurdish forces in the region, allowing them to commit war crimes. Since then, these forces and the administrations imposed by Baghdad have dictated residents’ daily lives. They have captured resources necessary for day-to-day life and control the appropriation of said resources. The 2017 aggression by Baghdad caused massive civilian displacement and dozens of deaths among Kurdish fighters. Yet, the event had minimal coverage by human rights groups.
There is an ongoing process of Arabization of Kurdish towns and neighborhoods that the central Iraqi government supports in the disputed territories. The Arabization process started soon after the establishment of Iraq in 1923, but it peaked under the former regime of al Ba’ath, led by the former dictator Saddam Hussein.
Today in Kirkuk, the central Iraqi government continues to build military bases and checkpoints in residential areas, to the dismay of Kurdish residents. Local Kurdish residents believe this is part of the Iraqi government’s campaign to pressure Kurds into leaving Kirkuk. Since the Iraqi government took Kirkuk, there has been very little reporting about events in Kirkuk, including many cases of Arab settlers attempting to occupy Kurdish farmlands. International media has mainly reported on the fights between government forces and ISIS in Kirkuk.
Since 2017, human rights groups have not once mentioned that Kirkuk is run by an administration imposed on the people in an undemocratic way, unlike all the other provinces in the country. As a result, dozens of Kurds have been removed from local and federal government posts and replaced with non-Kurds. In addition to the lack of primary services, the Kurds also suffer discriminatory policies in hiring and other opportunities. Kurdish politicians often face threats, including death threats.
In other towns in the disputed territories like Shingal (Sinjar), Zummar, Rabia, Hasansham, Khazir, Khanaqin, Khanaqin, and Mandali, the central Iraqi government has supported and protected Arab settlers’ aggressive land grabs while dismissing victimized Kurdish citizens. The Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) commit most of the abuses against the Kurds because the government has little oversight over these paramilitary groups. In Kirkuk, a Kurdish war memorial was vandalized, and the government has taken no action to find the perpetrators.
The world must react to human rights violations by Shia Militias in Kurdistan/Iraq, especially in #TuzKhurmatu. Thousands of Kurdish homes have been looted, set on fire. Thousands &thousands of Kurds have been/are being displaced. Humanity needs us now!#EndTuzKhurmatuGenocideNow pic.twitter.com/qMI7mAxIy1
— Polla Garmiany ☀️ (@PollaGarmiany) November 30, 2017
The central Iraqi government cut budget allocations to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to strong-arm them in negotiations to retain oil revenues, which is in violation of the Iraqi constitution. They will force the KRG to underfund the Peshmerga, cut government salaries, or cut funding to social services, which in turn worsens conditions within Kurdistan. Even though many of these instances are being reported by international media, they are spun as political disagreements between the Kurdish political parties and the federal Iraqi government rather than recognizing that the Iraqi government is violating its own federal laws in denying budget allocations. Very little is being reported about the effects of budget cuts beyond blaming the KRG for cutting the salaries of its government employees.
The central Iraqi government effectively shut down the Independence Referendum by the Kurds in 2017, and the international community applauded this denial of self-determination. Many international organizations pushed against the independence referendum out of concern, not for the Kurds but for the general security of the region. Then U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson stated that the referendum was “illegitimate,” and the Trump administration doubled down on that stance. When it comes to securing political rights for the Kurds in Iraq, they are on their own and must go it alone. Western actors benefit from strategic military alliances with the Kurds but often balk at helping them gain political rights.
There were no international headlines on an election reform bill passed in 2019 that greatly disadvantaged Kurdish political parties and helped the Shia political parties. There is still massive tension between the Kurds and Arabs in Iraq, and the rise of ISIS has made community relations even worse. The Iraqi government often fails to control its allied militant forces like the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), which has allowed the Kurds to be victimized by government militant groups. The Iraqi government also fails to maintain its security agreements with the KRG, forcing the Peshmerga to bear the brunt of the fight against ISIS in the disputed territories. Furthermore, several constitutional articles regarding the Kurds are ignored, leading to the undermining of the KRG.
International human rights groups seem to struggle when mapping abuses in the disputed territories of Iraq. In all of these reports, there is never any mention of the ongoing Arabization campaign against the Kurds in the disputed territories of Iraq. There is also no commentary on electoral policy, making it harder for the Kurds to be represented. Many of the abuses that have been documented by these human rights groups are committed by both the KRG and the central Iraqi government. There is a focus on what various governmental actors do. Still, international groups never seem to focus on the relationship between the KRG and the federal Iraqi government, even though this relationship is often one-sided.
Amnesty International Report 2017
In 2017, the KRG was mentioned three times by Amnesty International in their annual review of Iraq. The KRG held a referendum on independence in 2017 for the territory of the KRG and some of the disputed territory in Iraq. The KRG and the Iraqi government have also been accused of enforced disappearances, torture, and inhumane conditions of suspected ISIS members. The KRG also used tear gas and live ammunition to disperse Yazidi protestors. According to the report, journalists and online activists were subject to “arbitrary arrest, beatings, surveillance, death threats, and smear campaigns.”
Human Rights Watch Report 2017
The Iraqi government and the KRG have reportedly arbitrarily detained men and boys for weeks at a time for suspected ties to ISIS. Government forces have been accused of torture, mutilation of corpses, and enforced disappearances. Iraq has been deemed one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists. The KRG held a referendum on independence.
Local Reporting
International groups fail to report the anti-Kurdish rhetoric used by government forces, especially before elections in Iraq. In 2017, the governor of Kirkuk, a Kurd, was removed from his post after Iraqi and Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) forces occupied the province and imposed a new active governor on the people of Kirkuk. Kurdish land has been given to Arab settlers by the imposed governor. Many Kurds have been removed from various government posts in Kirkuk and replaced with Arabs. And after being removed, they were effectively banished from their hometowns. The acting governor has also enacted multiple contracts reminiscent of the Saddam era. Thousands of Kurds fled the towns of Kirkuk and Tuz Khurmatu as government forces reoccupied parts of the Saladin province. Hundreds of homes were burned down or bombed in these towns by Iranian and Turkish troops.
Amnesty International Report 2018
Turkish shelling and airstrikes continue in the mountainous northern region of Iraq with reported civilian casualties. Kurdish security forces violently dispersed peaceful protests in Erbil and Dohuk, and several journalists were detained and claimed to have been tortured by Kurdish security forces. Much like in 2017, Kurdish security forces were accused of enforced disappearances and of torturing suspected ISIS members.
Human Rights Watch Report 2018
In an effort to screen for ISIS fighters, the KRG has stopped families for weeks at checkpoints that are right on the frontlines. ISIS suspects are being detained in inhumane conditions and are subject to torture. Families of ISIS members face collective punishment, including forced displacement and imprisonment. The campaign against ISIS, according to the HRW, has allowed government forces to commit a litany of abuses. The KRG has also put a de facto moratorium on the death penalty.
Local Reporting
The acting governor of Kirkuk province has barred Kurdish farmers from harvesting their crops, saying that ownership of the land is disputed. Nearly 17,000 Arab families have been settled in 500 villages in the disputed territories of Iraq. In Sargaran, Kurdish residents reportedly were given only 72 hours to leave the sub-district. There is growing concern that the Iraqi government is attempting to change the demographics of the disputed territory through targeted campaigns. Government security forces routinely protect Kurdish neighborhoods and villages even though they are one of the more frequent targets of Islamic State attacks. Nearly 1.2 million acres of Kurdish farmland are under threat.
Human Rights Watch Report 2019
The KRG and the Iraqi government, according to the HRW, have no strategy for punishing the worst abuses first. There continues to be collective punishment for families of suspected ISIS members. Kurdish security forces were accused of arresting and detaining journalists at random. Protestors also accused Kurdish security forces of using violence to contain the protests.
Local Reporting
The Arabization campaign continued in 2019 with Kurdish citizens being displaced in the disputed territories and political ostracization increasing. The region’s farmlands have been in dispute since 2003 following the fall of the Saddam regime. In 2019, Arab farmers started harvesting wheat on Kurdish property. The Kurds also claim groups of Arab farmers have confiscated farm equipment. Others have had their land ultimately claimed by Arab settlers using Saddam-era documents to gain ownership of the farmland. Lastly, five Kurdish homes were demolished by Iraq security forces. Also, Kurdish farmlands are being burnt down in Khanaqin and Kirkuk. Iraqi security forces are not directly responsible for the burning of Kurdish farmland. However, much of the farmlands that have been set ablaze have occurred in areas with many Iraqi security forces. Some have accused the PMF of conducting these burn campaigns on Kurdish farmland. Local Kurds also claim that Iraqi security forces have pointed guns at them. In Palakana, armed settlers raided the village and forced Kurdish citizens out of the village.
Amnesty International Report 2020
Turkish airstrikes continue to shell northern Iraq killing five civilians. There was also intermittent Iranian shelling of the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK). The KRG, according to Amnesty, continues to assault freedom of expression in the Kurdish region of Iraq. The KRG also violently dispersed protestors in Erbil and Dohuk. The KRG prevents Arab IDPs from returning to their homes in the disputed territories. COVID-19 has hampered the judicial process for trying suspected ISIS members and has forced the closure of several IDP camps, leading to the camps being overcrowded. The Iraqi government and the KRG have failed in their obligations to the Yazidi.
Human Rights Watch Report 2020
Government security forces used excessive force against peaceful protestors. The government reportedly blocked the internet to prevent social media from documenting the excessive force. There is evidence of widespread torture of suspected IS members. Collective punishment continues for families of suspected IS members.
Local Reporting
For the third year in a row, there has been an ongoing Arabization campaign in the disputed territories that international human rights groups have not reported on. According to local reporting, Iraqi government forces and the PMF threatened Kurdish residents of Palkana if they did not leave. Arab settlers are given priority to farmable land in the disputed territory. In 2020, the Iraqi parliament passed a new election bill that created undue burdens on Kurdish political parties and worsened representation for Kurdish people in Iraq in violation of Iraq’s constitution. Also, 50 Kurds were arrested by Iraqi security forces after celebrating the electoral victory of a local Kurdish party. Displaced Kurdish families are also having difficulty getting their paperwork, as was the case for a young Kurdish girl named Referendum. There have also been reported cases of voter intimidation targeting the Kurds at voting stations.
There is no mention by these international rights groups of the displacement of Kurds, the destruction of Kurdish farmlands, or the ongoing political ostracization. In all of these reports, there is no mention of the ongoing Arabization campaign against the Kurds in the disputed territories of Iraq. There is also no commentary on electoral policy, making it harder for the Kurds to be represented. Many of the abuses documented by these human rights groups are committed by both the KRG and the central Iraqi government. There is a focus on what various governmental actors do, but there is no real focus by international groups on the relationship between the KRG and the federal Iraqi government, even though this relationship is often one-sided. This includes the Iraqi government withholding constitutionally required funding from the budget to the KRG. The Iraqi government frequently backtracks on security agreements between the Peshmerga and the Iraqi military. This has created space for ISIS to operate freely and has led to the destruction of Kurdish farmlands and forced displacement of Kurdish residents in the disputed territories. There is minimal reporting on the state backed PMFs who operate in the disputed territories even though they are frequently the perpetrators in cases of abuse in the disputed territories. The international human rights community has an obligation to report abuses by the Iraqi government, including those that occur in the disputed territories.