HUMAN RIGHTS MINISTER COMPLAINS ABOUT IRAQI

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 000365

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/31/2017
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL KDEM IZ
SUBJECT: HUMAN RIGHTS MINISTER COMPLAINS ABOUT IRAQI
DETENTION FACILITIES AND BSP


Classified By: DEPUTY POLCOUNS FOR REASONS 1.4 (b) AND (d)


1. (C) Summary. In a meeting January 29, Minister of Human
Rights Wijdan Mikha'il Salim told PolOff that she was
disturbed by what she perceived to be a lack of action on
the part of GOI to address overcrowding and detainee abuse
issues, particularly in the face of a potential influx of
detainees under the Baghdad Security Plan. She explained
that she met with the Prime Minister the previous week to
express these concerns and request that she attend MCNS
meetings to highlight human rights issues that might arise
with any increased security operation. She said that the
Prime Minister had politely refused her request, instead
suggesting that she join the Baghdad Security's Plan
services committee led by DPM Zowbai. Despite this, the
Prime Minister raised the Minister's concerns in the MCNS
(sep),taking to task Minister of Justice for detention
facility human rights issues. In other news, the Minister
reported that she was losing ground within her party
(Iraqiyya),and that fellow party members had recommended
to leader Ayad Allawi that she be replaced. She assured
PolOff that despite the recommendations (particularly by
CoR member Alia al Ubaidi),other political party leaders
such as Abdul Azziz al Hakim) had stepped in to prevent
such a move. End Summary.


2. (C) On January 29, Minister of Human Rights Wijdan
Mikha'il Salim, told PolOff that she was fed up with the
state of affairs of the Iraqi detention facility system,
and complained that the GOI had not adequately thought out
how they would deal with any increase in detention
operations that may occur from the BSP. She noted that an
increase in detainees with no new facilities or expedited
judicial review would only exacerbate the problems that
already existed such as overcrowding and abuse. She noted
that these problems were already pervasive in MoI/MOD
facilities, and placed some blame on the poor judicial
capacity to handle these cases, as well as what she
characterized as an ISF culture of mass arrest sweeps
without regard to whether a detainee may be a suspect or an
innocent bystander. She also argued that a system
dedicated to arresting people and determining their guilt
or innocence several months later could only lead to
bitterness at best on the part of the population targeted
for arrest ) especially if there were torture or abuse
administered.


3. (C) The Minister said that on January 20, she asked the
Prime Minister for the ability to participate in the MCNS,
arguing that in the end it was her ministry that had to
deal with the complaints and negative repercussions of
security operations. She argued that the detention
facility conditions were overcrowded and sometimes abusive,
and that the human rights ministry should be directly
involved in ensuring that human rights standards were
maintained. She asserted that little thought had been taken
by the other ministries involved in how to reduce the
overcrowding or abusive conditions in these facilities.
The Prime Minister denied her request to attend the MCNS
and instead suggested that she participate in one of the
Baghdad Security Plan Committees, particularly the Services
committee. The subsequent day in the MCNS, the PM noted
that the Human Rights minister had complained about the
conditions of detention facilities, and took the Minster of
Justice to task on these complaints (septel).


4. (C) In other news, the Minister explained that several
members of Iraqiyyia members, particularly Alia al Obeidi
who she said was very interested in becoming a Minister,
had approached party leader Ayad Allawi on replacing Salim.
She told PolOff she was surprised when SCIRI leader Abdul
Azziz al Hakim and Badr Corps leader Hadi al Amiri
separately called her to say that they would prevent such a
move. She told PolOff that she did not consider this to be
a substantive threat.


5. (C) Comment: Several months after taking the helm of the
ministry, Minister Wijdan has found her voice and has
become more proactive in talking with the Prime Minister on
issues of serious human rights abuses. Despite a not so
favorable relationship with a few members in her party, she
believes that she is well-respected by the Prime Minister
who she says has on numerous occasion personally assured
her of high regard that he has for her and her objectivity.
Poor detention facility conditions (particularly MoI/MOD)
is not a new issue, but is one that the Ministry under
Minister Wijdan's leadership is placing more focus on. It
is also an issue that the Sunni parties have been
approaching the ministry more and more on of late. End
Comment.


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