UNHCR's ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES FOR ASSESSING THE ...

Actual or Perceived Supporters of the Former Regime and/or Insurgency
Individuals who are perceived to be supporters of the former regime and/or the ongoing
insurgency, including, most notably, Sunni Arabs, have been subjected to physical violence
and other forms of intimidation and harassment. Sunni Arabs are often blamed for the
human rights abuses that occurred under the former regime (due to the key positions that
many Sunni Arabs held in the army and security and intelligence agencies) and are also
broadly perceived to be supporters of the insurgency. As such, they have been targeted by
Shi’ite death squads and certain elements of the ISF.
Members and associates of the Ba’ath Party and the former regime have been similarly
targeted. The degree to which these individuals are at risk depends on such factors as the
extent to which they are identified with the Ba’athist ideology and the human rights abuses
that occurred under the former regime, the rank or position previously held, and public
recognition. Rank or seniority alone is not dispositive, as many low-level officials have
been targeted at the community level. Finally, other groups perceived as having received
preferential treatment under the former regime, e.g., Roma (Kawliyah), Palestinians, and
professionals whose careers are perceived to have advanced due to Ba’ath Party
membership, have been targeted. Given the current climate of impunity and lack of law and
order, personal revenge killings against perpetrators of detention, torture or other human
rights violations have also occurred.
Actual or Perceived Sympathizers of the US-Led Invasion and/or the MNF in Iraq
Individuals working for certain entities in Iraq are perceived by the insurgency as
supporting the US-led invasion of Iraq and its “occupation” by the MNF. These individuals
are thus targeted by elements of the insurgency. Individuals include those Iraqis who are
working for the MNF, foreign embassies, foreign companies, the former Coalition
Provisional Authority (CPA), the United Nations (UN), the International Committee of the
Red Cross (ICRC) as well as other humanitarian and human rights organizations. In
addition, humanitarian workers may be targeted by militant elements for assisting civilian
members belonging to other sectarian groups. There have been reports of threats made
against employees and their families. Kidnappings, physical attacks and murder have been
perpetrated against these workers. Neither the UN nor local employers can provide the
security that is necessary but otherwise unavailable from the Iraqi authorities or the MNF.
Kurds have also been perceived as supporters of the “foreign occupation,” given their
staunch support of the US-led invasion in 2003 and presence in the country, full
involvement in the political process, political efforts to achieve federalism in Iraq (viewed
by many Sunni Arabs as a precursor to the break-up of Iraq), and reported relations with
Israel. This has resulted in a number of attacks on Kurdish political and military
representatives, offices of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of
Kurdistan (PUK), and Kurdish civilians.
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