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Transfer of Iraq detainees under security pact concerns rights groups

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] Iraqi human rights activists are concerned about the treatment of detainees due to be transferred from US military custody to Iraqi authorities under the proposed Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), according to an IRIN report Monday. The pact, approved the Iraqi cabinet on Sunday and awaiting approval from the country's parliament, calls for roughly 17,000 detainees to be turned over within 24 hours of its acceptance. Iraqi Minister of Women's Affairs Nawal al-Samaraie, the only cabinet member who voted against the agreement, said detainees who are not charged with a specific crime should be released. The Iraqi parliament began SOFA hearings on Monday, with a final vote expected sometime after November 24. Earlier this month, Iraqi Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi called for a national referendum on the agreement. Last month, Human Rights Watch called for a provision in the agreement to shield detainees from being transferred in order to prevent their torture. In August, officials for Iraq's Human Rights Ministry said they planned to prosecute those suspected of torturing inmates of the country's prison system.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on November 18, 2008 (boomark / email).