A Human Rights Court in Iraq?
The Iraqi Independent High Commission for Human Rights (the “Commission”) intends to create a special court by 2013 with jurisdiction over human rights complaints and abuses in Iraq. The Commission already has powers under its mandate (pursuant to Iraqi Law No. 53 of 2008) to track human rights breaches and refer them for prosecution. The new court was approved by the Supreme Judicial Council of Iraq in order to ensure expedient accountability over the array of human rights cases in the country.
In describing the mechanics of the new tribunal, a member of the Commission stated that the “Commission offices in all Iraqi provinces will monitor instances of human rights violations, receive complaints from injured parties, prepare [these issues] as legal cases and submit them to the court so it can investigate them and take the required legal steps”.
The Commission aims to strengthen the political and social culture within Iraq through a reaffirmation of Iraq’s commitment to international human rights. The Commission will compliment the work of the new tribunal through co-ordinating investigations and reporting on human rights abuses inIraq.
