Human Rights Watch alleges a systematic policy of revenge that does not spare minors from the same abuses that have marred the arrest, interrogation and trials of adults.
By Tamer El-Ghobashy Tamer El-Ghobashy Baghdad bureau chief focusing on Iraq's politics, security and the fight against the Islamic State Email Bio Follow March 6 at 1:11 PM Iraqi authorities are holding at least 1,500 children suspected of being members of the Islamic State and are using torture to extract confessions that lead to wrongful convictions, according to a report released Wednesday.
Human rights groups have sounded the alarm since 2017 on Iraq’s treatment of people accused of joining the Islamic State, warning that the government and its security apparatus are ensnaring many who worked with the group against their will — thereby creating a pariah class that will not be able to reintegrate into society and could underpin a renewed insurgency.
They are denied access to lawyers, the report states, and their claims of innocence are ignored by judges during trials that last no more than 10 minutes. “Iraq and the [Kurdistan Regional Government’s] harsh treatment of children looks more like blind vengeance than justice for ISIS crimes,” Becker added.
Many of the minors had been forced to work for the militant group, according to the report. Some chose to join the group during its three-year occupation of several Iraqi towns and cities, seeing it as the only way to ensure their safety and gain social status.
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