Latest news with #StrategicCenterforHumanRightsinIraq
Shafaq News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
8 million Iraqis at risk of losing vote as registration deadline nears
Shafaq News/ More than 8 million eligible Iraqi voters remain unregistered, the Strategic Center for Human Rights in Iraq (SCHR) announced on Thursday, raising alarms over mass disenfranchisement ahead of the country's parliamentary elections scheduled for November 11. The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) recently extended the deadline for voter registration updates to June 15, as the original cut-off date of May 23 approached with millions yet to complete the mandatory biometric process. The extension comes as a critical intervention, according to the IHEC's Deputy Head Hazem Al-Rudaini, who praised the move as essential to preserving voter participation. Under Election Law No. 4 of 2023, only citizens holding biometric electoral cards will be allowed to vote. Al-Rudaini warned that out of Iraq's 29 million eligible voters—a figure that includes newly eligible citizens born in 2005 and 2006—only 21 million have completed biometric registration to date. He called for intensified public awareness campaigns and government efforts to facilitate the registration process.
Shafaq News
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
2025 elections: 9M Iraqis barred from voting
Shafaq News/ Nearly nine million Iraqis are unable to vote in the upcoming 2025 parliamentary elections, the Strategic Center for Human Rights in Iraq said on Saturday. Hazem al-Rudaini, the center's deputy director, noted that the total number of eligible voters—including those born in 2007 who recently reached voting age—stands at 29.1 million. However, only around 20 million have completed biometric registration, a legal requirement to cast a ballot in the October 11 elections. 'This leaves roughly 9 million Iraqis without the right to vote,' he explained, urging the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) to extend the registration deadline by another month to allow more citizens to update their data. He also called for a nationwide awareness campaign involving the government, media, and civil society groups.
Shafaq News
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Post-Anfal Justice: Rights group urges reparations for victims
Shafaq News/ On Monday, a leading Iraqi human rights organization called on the government to formally recognize the Anfal campaign as genocide and to provide reparations to survivors. Marking the 37th anniversary of the campaign, Fadhel al-Gharawi, head of the Strategic Center for Human Rights in Iraq, said the military operation in the Kurdistan Region, conducted under the former Baathist regime, led to the deaths of an estimated 180,000 Kurdish civilians through mass executions, chemical attacks and forced displacement, and destroyed more than 4,000 villages. 'The operation was carried out in eight phases and resulted in widespread suffering,' al-Gharawi told Shafaq News. 'Survivors endured forced family separations, arbitrary detention, and burial in mass graves.' The Iraqi High Criminal Court previously recognized the Anfal campaign as genocide, in line with the 1948 Genocide Convention. However, al-Gharawi said many families were still waiting for compensation and information on missing relatives. He urged parliament and the government to reopen the case under transitional justice frameworks, recommending a package of measures including reparations, official acknowledgment, and international advocacy for global recognition. The official also called for the Anfal campaign to be included in school curricula, the continuation of forensic investigations at mass grave sites, and the creation of a national museum to preserve testimony and historical records. 'Survivors would benefit from long-term psychological support and state-sponsored rehabilitation programs, as well as a centralized database to track victims,' he emphasized. According to the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), many survivors still face economic hardship and lack access to specialized healthcare, particularly in remote areas of the Kurdistan Region.
Shafaq News
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Human Rights Official: Iraq's crime rate drops 15% in 2024, violent crimes down 20%
Shafaq News/ Iraq recorded a 15% decline in overall crime rates in 2024 compared to the previous year, with significant drops in violent crimes, theft, and drug-related offenses, according to the Strategic Center for Human Rights in Iraq. 'The latest crime indicators from the Interior Ministry show a 20% decrease in violent crimes, including murder and serious assaults,' said Fadel Al-Gharawi, head of the center, in a report on Wednesday. The data showed a 22% drop in homicides, with 1,200 cases recorded in 2024 compared to 1,540 in 2023. Serious assaults also fell 18%, with 3,500 reported cases versus 4,270 the previous year. Theft-related crimes also saw a decline. Home burglaries dropped 10%, with 8,000 cases recorded, down from 8,900 in 2023. Car thefts decreased by 14%, with 5,500 reported cases compared to 6,400 last year. Drug-related offenses also declined, with trafficking cases falling 18% to 2,500 in 2024 from 3,050 a year earlier. Drug use cases dropped 15%, with 4,000 cases recorded compared to 4,700 in 2023. Financial crimes followed the downward trend, with fraud cases dropping 20%, from 1,125 cases in 2023 to 900 this year. Corruption-related crimes, including bribery and embezzlement, fell 25%, with 1,200 cases recorded, down from 1,600 last year. Al-Gharawi urged the Interior Ministry to launch a national crime-fighting strategy, dismantle criminal networks, and focus on combating serious crimes, particularly drug trafficking and human trafficking. He also called for the introduction of "Kafeh" (Combat), an interactive initiative allowing citizens to collaborate with security forces in crime reporting. Additionally, he proposed a "Crime Database Program," an official statistical system to track and analyze crime trends over time.
Shafaq News
15-02-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Human Rights Official: 30,000 landmine victims since 2003
Shafaq News/ Iraq is among the world's most landmine-contaminated countries due to decades of wars and conflicts, a human rights official said on Saturday. Head of the Strategic Center for Human Rights in Iraq, Fadel Al-Gharawi, stated in a press release that more than 6,600 square kilometers of Iraqi land have been identified as mine-contaminated since 2003. He revealed, 'While over 4,540 square kilometers have been cleared as of 2024, more than 2,000 square kilometers still require demining, Basra is the most affected province, with approximately 1,200 square kilometers of contaminated land, followed by Muthanna and Diyala.' Calling for prioritizing demining efforts in Basra, providing compensation for victims, and raising public awareness about the dangers of landmines, Al-Gharawi urged the Iraqi government and international organizations to launch a large-scale demining campaign, stressing the need for Iraq to be declared mine-free by the end of 2025. 'Official statistics indicate that more than 30,000 Iraqis have been killed or injured by landmines and unexploded ordnance since 2003, including women and children. In 2022 alone, more than 150 people were killed or wounded by landmines across Iraq, while the Kurdistan Region recorded 13,500 victims,' he added. On Friday, three children were killed instantly when a landmine detonated while they were playing football in the Abu Al-Khasib district of southern Basra. Another explosion occurred last Saturday, killing two children and two young men. Basra continues to face persistent threats from landmines and unexploded ordnance left over from past wars, endangering civilians, particularly in agricultural areas and open lands that have yet to undergo full clearance operations.
