Mar 23, 2007

Iraqi Turkmen: Living in Fear


An extract from a written statement submitted to the Fourth Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) by the International Federation for the Protection of the Rights of Ethnic, Religious, Linguistic and Other Minorities (IFPRERLOM) underlines the difficulties that northern Iraq faces.

Below is an extract from a written statement submitted to the Fourth Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) by the International Federation for the Protection of the Rights of Ethnic, Religious, Linguistic and Other Minorities (IFPRERLOM) in March 2007. It underlines the difficulties that northern Iraq faces in terms of reconstruction and ethnic tensions.

With reference to the mandates and mechanisms of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC), this written statement wishes to bring to the attention of the HRC current cases of grave human rights violations committed against indigenous peoples, minorities and other marginalised groups in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

The relative peace that has characterised northern Iraq post-Saddam Hussein set it apart from regions elsewhere. Yet, while sectarian violence in Baghdad attracts international attention, less consideration has been provided to address the North’s long history of ethnic tension. In January 2007, the UN warned of “a looming crisis”, with “concerns at reports of mistreatment of ethnic Turkmen and Arabs by the Kurdish majority.” As the deadline to determine the status of Kerkuk through “the will of its citizens” by a date no later than 31 December 2007 approaches, a rushed resolution of Kerkuk’s status has become increasingly disputed by some of the region’s other minority communities. Turkmen communities in particular fear increased non-Turkmen dominance as the process of normalisation remains fraught with complexities and no consensus has emerged on what would constitute “normality.”

IFPRERLOM calls upon the relevant mandates of the Council to support a reconstruction process and ‘determination of the future of Kerkuk’ that proceed in a manner consistent with the principles of democracy, human rights, and for the genuine inclusion of all affected minorities, including protection of their particular language, culture, and religion, with an open and inclusive dialogue which includes Turkmen and Arab communities, as well as other minorities in the region. In conclusion, IFPRERLOM urges the Council to acknowledge the efforts and achievements, including the value of country-visits, of the mandates and mechanisms assumed by the HRC by their maintenance and to allocate due resources to facilitate the effective continuation of their mission to promote and protect the rights of inter alia ethnic, religious, linguistic and other minorities and vulnerable and suppressed groups whose human rights violations would otherwise have gone largely unaddressed.


For the full statement