Country: Iraq

In a country which has suffered from decades of conflict and violence, numerous violations remain in the post-ISIL era, including executions, abductions, torture, and unfair trials. Iraq remains the country with the highest number of enforced disappearances worldwide, with estimates going up to one million missing persons. This practice, which began at the time of Saddam Hussein and persisted after the 2003 U.S. invasion, escalated in the context of the fight against ISIL, and continues to be used in a widespread and systematic fashion by government forces and state-sponsored militias.

The country with the fourth highest number of executions in the world, the death penalty is routinely handed down by courts, in the vast majority of cases under the broad 2005 Anti-Terrorism Law, which applies the death sentence mandatorily. This is particularly concerning considering that the country suffers from a flawed judicial system which systematically admits confessions extracted under torture as evidence.

The authorities also continue to clamp down on the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly by subjecting journalists to interference and by cracking down on peaceful protests.

Iraq reviewed by the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances

At its 30th session, the Committee on Enforced Disappearances reviewed Iraq’s implementation of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and issued its observations highlighting serious shortcomings.

Iraq: additional information submitted to the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances

1 Introduction This alternative report is submitted by MENA Rights Group to the Committee on Enforced Disappearances (hereinafter “the Committee”) ahead of its 30th session in March 2026, during which the Committee will review additional information submitted by the State of Iraq under article 29 (4) of the International Convention for the Protection of All […]

Enforced disappearances in the context of transnational repression in the MENA

1 Introduction 1.1 Transnational repression in the MENA According to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), transnational repression refers to “acts conducted or directed by a State, or its proxy, to deter, silence or punish dissent, criticism or human rights advocacy towards it, expressed from outside its territory.”[1] These acts often […]

Iraq’s National Human Rights Institution downgraded over ineffectiveness concerns

MENA Rights Group welcomes the recommendations made by the Sub-Committee on Accreditation (SCA) of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) to downgrade the Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights (IHCHR) to “B” status following its special review during the SCA’s 46th session, held from October 20 to 31, 2025.

Iraq must translate human rights commitments made during Universal Periodic Review into effective change

Following its fourth Universal Periodic Review in January 2025, Iraq accepted approximately 70% of the received recommendations. However, genuine progress will depend on their effective implementation.

The Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq must immediately release journalist Sherwan Sherwani and end judicial harassment

MENA Rights Group joins NGOs in calling for the release of Iraqi Kurdish journalist Sherwani, who has been arbitrarily detained for five years.

UN Secretary-General’s 2025 report highlights reprisals against human rights defenders in the MENA

MENA Rights Group provides a summary of the UNSG’s main concerns over reprisals against human rights defenders in the MENA region, particularly in Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Yemen.

Counter-terrorism practices incompatible with human rights in the MENA region

This briefing paper highlights the main counter-terrorism-related human rights issues identified by MENA Rights Group in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in recent years. It provides an overview of the abuse of counter-terrorism laws and measures to target peaceful dissidents, activists and human rights defenders at the domestic level, including in countries […]

Iraq’s human rights record assessed during its fourth Universal Periodic Review

During its Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on January 27, 2025, Iraq received 263 recommendations from 93 States on various issues including its human rights framework, the right to freedom of expression, and the death penalty.

UN report concerned over ineffective national human rights institutions in Bahrain, Egypt, and Iraq

MENA Rights Group welcomes the conclusions and recommendations made by the Sub-Committee on Accreditation (SCA) of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) to downgrade the national human rights institutions (NHRIs) of Egypt and Iraq to status B, and to maintain the status B of the Bahraini NHRI. These recommendations echo our concerns over the three […]