MOI PRESS CONFERENCE MISSES HUMAN RIGHTS MARK AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 002896

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/11/2025
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PINR IZ
SUBJECT: MOI PRESS CONFERENCE MISSES HUMAN RIGHTS MARK AND
RAPPROCHEMENT WITH ARAB SUNNIS

REF: A. BAGHDAD 2120


B. BAGHDAD 2194

Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR ROBERT S. FORD.
REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D).


1. (C) SUMMARY. Senior SCIRI official and Minister of
Interior Baqr Jabr lost an opportunity to reach out to
the Sunni Arab community by demonstrating that the MOI
is serious about protecting human rights during his
July 7 press conference. Jabr said the Ministry's
three top priorities are providing security, fighting
corruption, and protecting the human rights of Iraqis.
However, neither Jabr nor Interior Ministry IG Nori
al-Nouri offered specific details of investigations
into allegations of abuse or prosecution of
perpetrators of such abuse. Rather, Jabr called
reports of torture and abuse in the press
'misrepresentations' and claimed that NGOs and human
rights organizations have access to MOI facilities.
Sunni Arab reaction to the press conference has ranged
from negative to scathing, with a Sunni Endowment
member calling Jabr 'a liar.' To be fair to the
Interior Minister, he is working to stop a terror
campaign and insurgency that is killing Iraqi
civilians daily. Many Sunni Arabs will condemn
terrorism but also believe innocent Sunni Arabs are
being targeted unfairly by Jabr's security forces.
This belief impedes Sunni Arab leaders from engaging
politically with the Shi'a and accepting that
political compromises will add to, not diminish, their
community's safety. For Jabr to really make a
positive impact on the Sunni Arab community, he must
show credible and tangible efforts to stop alleged
abuses, not promises. END SUMMARY.


2. (U) In a July 7 press conference, senior SCIRI
official and Minister of Interior Baqr Jabr outlined
the Ministry's three top priorities of providing
security, fighting corruption, and protecting the
human rights of Iraqis. Jabr distributed the
'manifesto' he said MOI had disseminated to police,
commandos, special forces, and border patrol agents
across Iraq. Even though criminals are killing and
perpetrating violence against innocent Iraqis, said
Jabr, they must be treated in accordance with human
rights standards. (COMMENT: In the document, Jabr
wrote "we will not allow any violations of human
rights, torture, or any other form of abuse."
Further, the document notes that Jabr himself will
conduct spot visits to police facilities and
personally follow these issues. END COMMENT.)


3. (U) Jabr's press conference focused more on
Operation Lightning successes, the reduction of crime
in Baghdad, and successes in capturing insurgent
elements than on human rights issues. Jabr did not
refer to either specific allegations of abuse or
progress in ongoing investigations. The only specific
example of culpability he cited was the recent arrest
of the Tikrit police chief for unspecified crimes
(these we understand relate to the chief's time as
Police Chief in Maysan province during the Saddam
regime). Jabr said that he did not approve of the
arrest because the police chief had done a good job.
However, as the criminal court had issued an arrest
warrant, he had no choice.


4. (U) MOI Inspector General Nori al-Nouri then
provided statistics about corruption and human rights
cases, focusing primarily on cases dealing with
corruption. He noted that 323 investigative
committees were established in the last two months,
resulting in 81 cases. Of these cases, 36 have been
referred to the courts, most of which deal with
contracting irregularities, forgery, and fraud. Nouri
referred to human rights cases as the "most important
topic" but failed to say anything substantive about
any of them. He merely noted that subcommittees had
been formed to assess detainee issues, saying these
committees are following through on allegations and
concluding "that is all I will say on this."


5. (U) Several members of the press questioned Jabr
about allegations of torture and abuse in MOI
detention facilities. Jabr claimed only one newspaper
had printed such allegations and that the reports were
a "misrepresentation." Further, when a reporter
complained about the press' lack of access to MOI
officials, Jabr countered that operational security
concerns often preclude such access. Additionally, he
insisted that non-governmental (NGO) and human rights
organizations have access to MOI. He claimed that
representatives of any such organizations should feel
free to contact him. (COMMENT: We have heard from
numerous sources, including the Ministries of Human
Rights and Justice, human rights NGOs, and
international human rights organizations, that access
continues to be a problem -- particularly in Baghdad
and, specifically, within MOI Headquarters. END
COMMENT.)

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SUNNI REACTION
--------------


6. (C) Private Sunni Arab reaction to Jabr's press
conference has ranged from negative to scathing. The
National Dialogue's Saleh Mutlek on July 8 told Poloff
that he doubted Jabr's veracity, particularly
regarding his statements about the misrepresentation
of reports of torture and abuse by police. Likewise,
the Sunni Endowment's Naji Ithawi told Poloff July 8
that Jabr is "a liar." The Sunni community, he
complained, does not see Jabr as credible. "You saw
the pictures," stated Ithawi, referring to photographs
of dead bodies the Sunni Endowment has provided that
clearly show evidence of torture. "How can he say
there is no torture?"

--------------
COMMENT
--------------


7. (C) This press conference was touted as a forum to
discuss human rights, but in fact the Ministry of
Interior officials did not go into much detail about
their efforts to protect human rights. Jabr offered
little substantive information about human rights
abuses by police forces or concrete steps taken to
address them. Contrary to Jabr's claim that reports
of abuse and torture are a misrepresentation, there
have been numerous, often credible, allegations -- by
the media, human rights NGOs, private citizens, prison
officials, and witnesses -- that police are
perpetrating human rights abuses. Post has discussed
many of these reports with Jabr, who has repeatedly
promised to investigate the allegations.
Additionally, the perception -- especially within the
Sunni Arab community -- is that police forces enjoy
impunity when it comes to allegations of abuse against
Sunni Arabs (reftels). Jabr had a prime opportunity
to report tangible results showing that, in fact, MOI
is committed to protecting the rights of all Iraqis --
regardless of religious or ethnic orientation.
Instead, he fell short of the mark, coming across as
vague and defensive. To be fair to the Interior
Minister, he is trying to stop a terror campaign and
insurgency that is killing Iraqi civilians daily.
Many Sunni Arabs will condemn terrorism but also
believe innocent Sunni Arabs are being targeted
unfairly in the security campaign. This belief
impedes Sunni Arab leaders from engaging politically
with the Shi'a and accepting that political
compromises will add to, not diminish, their
community's safety. For Jabr to really make a
positive impact, especially on the Sunni Arab
community, he needs to show that there have been
serious investigations of alleged abuses, that these
investigations have determined a set of facts and, if
the facts so speak, then specific, named officials
responsible for abuses have been punished. END
COMMENT.


8. (U) REO HILLA, REO BASRA, REO MOSUL, and REO
KIRKUK, minimize considered.


Satterfield