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Torture in Iraq worries UN
09/12/2007 21:43 - (SA)
Baghdad - The United Nations urged Iraq on
Sunday to ratify the international treaty against torture next
year amid accusations that torture was used in detention centres
under government authority.
Steffan de Mistura, the top UN official in Iraq, said
ratifying the United Nations Convention Against Torture would
send a strong signal from Iraq that democratic countries could "reach stability, fight terrorism" and respect human rights.
"You have done so much in teaching us many things over 5 000 years of culture and civilisations, and we need that lesson from you," he said in a speech at a ceremony in Baghdad marking International Human Rights Day.
Majority of prisoners are Sunni Arabs
A report from the UN mission in Iraq covering the human
rights situation between January and March said the use of
torture and "other inhumane treatment in detention centres under
the authority of the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of
Defence continues to be of utmost concern".
The minority Sunni Arab community has also said abuses take
place in Iraqi prisons. The majority of prisoners are Sunni
Arabs accused of involvement in attacks on the US military and
Iraqi security forces.
The Shi'ite-led government has acknowledged some cases of
abuse of detainees, but said torture was not systematic in Iraqi
jails. It has vowed to crack down on human rights violators.
- Reuters
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