UNHCR's ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES FOR ASSESSING THE ...

dominated Special Police Commando units, which since May 2006 have been consolidated
into the Iraqi National Police. 119 Consistent reports have indicated the involvement of the
ISF in kidnappings, torture and summary executions of Sunnis. 120 In November 2005, a
joint MNF/ISF raid on the Ministry of Interior’s Al-Jadiriyya Facility in Baghdad
discovered some 170 weakened and malnourished detainees, mostly Sunni Arabs, many
bearing injuries consistent with torture. At least 18 others allegedly had died in custody and
the fate of others remained unknown. The Government of Iraq initiated an investigation
into the incident, but to date has failed to publish its findings or to initiate criminal
proceedings against those involved in the abuse. 121 Between December 2005 and May
2006, joint MNF/ISF teams inspected at least eight facilities run by the Ministry of Interior
and the Ministry of Defence in and around Baghdad. The inspectors found consistent
evidence of detainee abuse at most locations, including the Ministry of Interior’s Site 4
Facility. According to UNAMI HRO, the inspection at Site 4 had revealed “systematic
evidence of physical and psychological abuse.” UNAMI HRO in December 2006 reported
that while an investigation revealed that 57 employees, including high-ranking officers, of
the Ministry of Interior were involved in degrading treatment of prisoners at Site 4, nobody
has yet been held accountable. It further reported that it continues to receive information
pointing to torture and other cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment in detention centres
administered by the Ministry of Interior or security forces throughout Iraq. 122
Apart from the forces of the Ministry of Interior, forces of the Ministry of Defence have
also reportedly been infiltrated by Shi’ite militiamen. For example, the Iraqi Army’s Fifth
the Iraqi Police and Military were infiltrated by militias. Former Minister of Interior, Bayan Jabr, said that the
FPS was “out of control”. The Iraqi Government has plans to consolidate the various FPS units and bring
them under control of the Ministry of Interior; however, the Iraq Study Group questions whether the Ministry
of Interior had the capability to do so; see: Iraq Study Group Report, p. 14, see above footnote 35. See also:
Perito, see above footnote 109; Walter Pincus, U.S. Military Urging Iraq to Rein In Guard Force, The
Washington Post, 25 December 2006, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/
2006/12/24/AR2006122400551.html; Inter Press Service (IPS), Dahr Jamail, Ali al-Fadhily, Iraqi Militias
Take Refuge in Facilities Protection Service, 8 November 2006, http://www.antiwar.com/jamail/
?articleid=9979; Filkins, see above footnote 103; Ellen Knickmeyer, Iraq Begins to Rein In Paramilitary
Force, The Washington Post, 14 May 2006, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/
2006/05/13/AR2006051300843.html; Scott Johnson, Phantom Force, Newsweek, 24 April 2006,
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12335716/site/newsweek/.
119 See, for example, Pincus, ibidem; HRW, Iraq: End Interior Ministry Death Squads, 29 October 2006,
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/10/29/iraq14473.htm; BBC News, Guide: Armed groups in Iraq, 15 August
2006, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4268904.stm#badr; Filkins, see above footnote 103; RFE/RL,
Charles Recknagel, Iraq: Sectarian Violence Highlights Increasing Power Of Militias, 22 March 2006,
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/03/3f8ef645-5fec-497d-8502-99a72fc4c9d8.html. See also:
Christopher Allbritton, Why Iraq’s Police Are a Menace, Time Magazine, 20 March 2006,
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1175055,00.html.
120 Perito, see above footnote 109; CBS / The Associated Press, Sectarian Rhetoric Flies In Baghdad,
5 January 2007, http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/05/iraq/main2332897.shtml. See also: UNHCR,
2005 Country of Origin Information Iraq, p. 144 and 146-148, see above footnote 53.
121 Edward Wong and John F. Burns, Secret prison adds to divisions in Iraq, The New York Times,
22 November 2005, http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/11/16/news/torture.php; Ellen Knickmeyer and K.I.
Ibrahim, U.S. to Probe All Iraqi-Run Prisons, The Washington Post, 18 November 2005,
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/17/AR2005111700649.html.
122 UNAMI HRO, December 2006 Human Rights Report, p. 19, see above footnote 10. See also: HRW,
World Report 2007, Iraq, January 2007, http://hrw.org/englishwr2k7/docs/2007/01/11/iraq14705.htm.
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