EXTENDING SPECIAL HUMANITARIAN CONCERN REFUGEE

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 002208

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/I AND PRM/A

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/02/2017
TAGS: IZ PHUM PREF PREL
SUBJECT: EXTENDING SPECIAL HUMANITARIAN CONCERN REFUGEE
STATUS TO NON-MUSLIM RELIGIOUS MINORITIES

REF: A. 2006 BAGHDAD 573


B. 2006 BAGHDAD 1924

C. 2006 BAGHDAD 2519

D. BAGHDAD 767

E. BAGHDAD 881

F. BAGHDAD 1190

G. BAGHDAD 1425

H. BAGHDAD 2010

I. VATICAN 99

Classified By: Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Post recommends extending "Priority Two" (P2, groups
of special humanitarian concern) refugee processing category
to all non-Muslim religious minorities from Iraq. Post
assessment, supported by reftels, is that members of
religious minorities in Iraq are particularly vulnerable to
serious harm. Unlike Sunni Arabs, Shia Arabs, or Kurds,
religious minorities -- such as Sabean-Mandaeans, Yezidis,
Baha'i, and Chaldo-Assyrian Christians -- lack safe havens
where they can retain their religious identity free from
credible fear of persecution. Even in areas where these
minorities are tolerated, such as Kurdistan or Ninewa, they
are often treated as means or impediments to the aspirations
of larger groups competing for political supremacy in
contested areas.


2. (C) Despite the measures to reduce the level of
ethno-sectarian violence in Baghdad and the rest of Iraq,
religious minorities continue to report instances of
harassment and violence in Baghdad, Mosul, and disputed
territories. Targeting of religious minorities is motivated
by both religious prejudice and opportunistic criminal
exploitation of their vulnerability as unarmed groups. While
Post has no reports of official or large-scale campaigns to
drive all religious minorities out of Iraq, criminal gangs
claiming adherence to Islamic fundamentalism are displacing,
kidnapping for ransom, extorting, and pressuring the
conversion of members of religious minorities. The
Government of Iraq does not condone these actions, but has
not been able to stop them, leaving many minorities fearful
for their safety and skeptical about the GOI's capacity to
protect their rights. As a result, members of religious
minorities continue to seek refuge in neighboring countries.
Non-Muslim religious minorities constitute about 3% to 5% of
all Iraqis but up until recently represented 40% of all Iraqi
refugees registered with the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees in Syria. Currently, it is estimated that
non-Muslim religious minorities comprise about 20% of the all
Iraqi refugees. The proportional overrepresentation of
members of non-Muslim religious minorities among the Iraqi
refugee population supports their claims about the risks they
face in Iraq.


3. (C) Post understands that many Sunni and Shia Arabs have
also sought refuge in neighboring countries due to credible
fears of persecution. We encourage the Department to
continue to ensure that the US Refugee Admissions Program
retains the capacity -- in terms of the total number of Iraqi
refugees that will be processed and may be admitted to the US
-- to include members from all groups represented in the
Iraqi refugee population, and to pay particular attention to
the most vulnerable cases. Many of the latter will come from
religious minorities. Post therefore supports measures --
such as P2 designation -- to streamline their processing and
the possibility of resettlement as a durable solution to
their plight.

CROCKER